MBA Essentials
ONLINE CERTIFICATE COURSE
Enhance your managerial and leadership competencies
with an online course covering the key management skills
essential for the successful running of any organisation.
ABOUT THIS COURSE
£2,800
The contemporary business environment is defined by
frequent and considerable change; in industry, markets,
and technological advances. The MBA Essentials from The
8-12 hours per
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
week of self-
arms you with essential hard and soft business skills to
paced learning,
not only react and adapt to such changes, but to excel in
entirely online
any business context. Using an immersive, interactive and
supported learning model, you’ll enhance your managerial
and leadership competencies at a fraction of the cost and 10 weeks
commitment of a traditional MBA. excluding 1 week
orientation
This course balances the knowledge and theory
which will enable you to think differently and make better Note: this MBA Essentials online certificate
decisions with the practical skills and techniques required to course is not a credit-bearing course. It
achieve a greater impact within your organisation. You’ll also does not guarantee entrance into an MBA.
have the opportunity to expand your professional network If you wish to apply for an MBA, you should
by collaborating and engaging with an international cohort be aware of the specific entry requirements
of like-minded business leaders on the course. and prerequisites.
WHAT THE COURSE COVERS
This 10-week course focuses on three core pillar of business management and leadership:
The Strategic Environment, The Financial Toolkit, and The Human Element. Using a case
study-based approach, guided by LSE experts, you’ll learn to:
• Enhance your organisation’s competitive advantage through a better understanding of your
business context and environment
• Use technical business and finance skills to understand, analyse and optimise a business
• Use human behaviour insights and leadership frameworks to effectively influence at all levels
within your organisation, and externally – with investors and consumers
More than 83% of employers plan to hire new
business school graduates in 2018, according to a
GMAC® employer poll.1 MBA-ready skills not only set
you apart as a professional or MBA applicant, but also
increase your earning and career development potential.
Source: gmac.com
1
LSE MBA Essentials online certificate course
This course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service, and may
be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based
professional bodies. The course has an estimated 100 hours of learning.
Note: should you wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is upon you. The London School of Economics and Political
Science (LSE) and GetSmarter accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation
of hours or points.
THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU IF:
You’re looking to You’d like to advance You’re preparing to You’re considering an
develop and improve your career, with transition into a new MBA – at some point
your effectiveness key MBA skills and role, organisation in the future – and
as a leader, with validation in the form or industry, and would like to build
enhanced managerial of an LSE certificate are looking for the your foundational
and business skills inspiration and ideas to knowledge
make a positive impact
from day one
WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE?
This course is designed for anyone in a managerial or leadership position, or aspiring towards one,
as well as professionals and specialists who wish to gain holistic business knowledge to progress or
transition in their careers. Given the nature of the course, it is suitable for anyone who works within an
organisation, owns their own business, or plans to do so. There are no formal academic prerequisites
for the course, however some business experience and numerical proficiency are recommended.
Professor Paul Kelly
Pro-Director, Teaching and Learning, LSE
“ Online education allows the London
School of Economics and Political Science to make our
state-of-the-art social science research accessible to the
widest possible audience, in a format which is practical
”
and will have real-world application and impact.
LSE MBA Essentials online certificate course
What is LSE?
Learn more about
The London School
of Economics and
Political Science (LSE)
WHAT
YOU’LL LEARN
This online course integrates rich, interactive media such as videos, infographics, and e-learning
activities, as well as traditional didactic components such as written study guides (course notes).
There are also opportunities for collaborative learning through discussion forums. The following
modules contribute to the holistic approach your learning path takes:
00 Orientation
Module (1 week): Welcome to your Online Campus
You’ll be welcomed with a personal call and get introduced to your online teaching and
technical support network. Begin connecting with fellow students while exploring the
navigation and tools of your Online Campus. Be alerted to key milestones in the learning
path, and review how your results will be calculated and distributed.
You’ll be required to complete your student profile, confirm your certificate delivery address,
and submit a digital copy of your passport/identity document.
01 Leading
with influence
Discover the principles and techniques to effectively influence at all levels of your
organisation, building your influence and impact with direct reports, organisational leaders
and other stakeholders. You’ll also learn to use nonverbal behaviour to increase your power
at work, improving your ability to influence others.
LSE MBA Essentials online certificate course
SECTION I: The Strategic Environment
02 Economics
for managers
Understand the key economic principles and market forces that underpin any
business as you learn about the interaction between supply and demand, and
the implications for making decisions about pricing. You’ll also investigate the
economic factors to be taken into consideration when determining what to produce.
03 Competitive
strategy
Identify the importance of competitive advantage, and how this can be created
as you discover more about the industry value chain and value creation. In doing
so, you’ll learn how to use resources and positioning as sources of competitive
advantage, and how to respond to threats to your competitive advantage.
04 Corporate strategy
Explore how organisations can expand their business activities, investigating the
advantages and disadvantages of vertical integration and horizontal expansion.
You’ll apply these concepts to real-world examples and case studies, helping you
identify the different growth options available to a company.
SECTION II: The Financial Toolkit
05 Financial
accounting
Improve your financial expertise as you explore the principles of financial accounting,
identifying how financial information is used by various stakeholders in making
business decisions, and learn how to compile and analyse income statements,
balance sheets and cash flow statements.
06 Management accounting
Explore how you can use financial tools such as budgeting, cost-volume-profit analysis,
costing methods, and investment appraisal techniques to make better business
decisions. You’ll be armed with vital, reassuring analytical techniques that also enable
you to build confidence and support for your ideas and activities within your organisation.
.
07 Analysing
financial statements
Learn to interpret and analyse financial statements and annual reports, using ratio
analyses and financial insights to gauge the financial health and performance
of a business. You’ll also enhance your knowledge of corporate governance –
the foundation on which financial reporting is built – and how it is incorporated
into modern business practices.
section assesses relationships and shifts in power
LSE MBA Essentials online certificate course
between key international actors, as well as the
SECTION III: The Human Element
08 In the
mind of the manager
Gain awareness of the common decision traps that managers fall into and how to avoid
these to become a better decision maker. You’ll discover techniques for minimising
bias in judgements about people and finances in the workplace. You’ll learn about
heuristic and bias tendencies – increasing your self awareness with a view to
becoming a better intuitive decision maker.
09 “Nudging” behaviour
Learn how to influence your peers and the decisions made by consumers with
nudging techniques, as you explore the concept of choice architecture, which is
used to influence consumer behaviour by making it easier for consumers to make
decisions.
10 Organisational
culture as a leadership tool
Investigate when culture change might be necessary to meet strategic objectives by
enhancing your knowledge of organisational culture, and the relationship between
culture and leadership. Examine the multi-layered and complex nature of culture,
and explore the advantages and disadvantages of a strong culture, as well as
exploring how an organisational culture is changed.
Dr Connson Locke
Course Convenor, Assistant Professor
“
of Management
The MBA Essentials online course will equip
students with the critical skills to be effective
managers and organisational leaders in the
21st century. The course will enable them
to improve their understanding of their own
organisation and think differently to make
”
improved business decisions.
LSE MBA Essentials online certificate course
WHO YOU’LL LEARN FROM
These subject matter experts from LSE guide the course design and appear in a
number of course videos.
Course Convenor
DR CONNSON LOCKE
Assistant Professor of Management
Connson Locke is a Senior Lecturer in the LSE Department of Management. Connson joined LSE in
2008 from the Boston Consulting Group and her areas of expertise are leadership, negotiation, decision
making and organisational behaviour. She is part of the academic leadership team for the Executive
Global Master’s in Management, LSE’s cutting edge alternative to an MBA, and also teaches the
School’s most successful executive course on campus: Achieving Leadership Excellence. Connson
holds a PhD and MSc in Organisational Behaviour from the University of California, Berkeley and a BA in
Sociology from Harvard University. Her research interests include gender and leadership, diversity, and
organisational culture.
Course Co-designers
DR JORDI BLANES I VIDAL
Associate Professor of Managerial Economics and Strategy
Jordi Blanes i Vidal is an Associate Professor of Managerial Economics and Strategy at LSE and teaches
on LSE’s Executive Global Master’s in Management. He is an expert in organisational economics,
leadership, human resource management and the political economy. Prior to joining the LSE academic
team, Jordi was a Prize Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford University and a visiting scholar at
the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). He studied his economics Master’s and PhD at LSE.
LSE MBA Essentials online certificate course
DR BARBARA FASOLO
Associate Professor of Behavioural Science
Barbara Fasolo is an Associate Professor of Behavioural Science at LSE and the Programme Director for
LSE’s Executive Master’s in Behavioural Science. An expert in choice processes and choice architecture,
she has multiple publications in both peer-reviewed academic journals and media outlets, such as the
Harvard Business Review. Barbara is the head of the LSE Behavioural Research Lab and is a member of
various behavioural science and decision making associations.
KHAMID IRGASHEV
Chartered Accountant and LSE Lecturer
Khamid Irgashev is a teacher in LSE’s Accounting Department. He is an ACA and ACCA chartered
qualified accountant with considerable experience in various industries, including financial services
(banking and insurance), retail, manufacturing and publishing. Khamid also has a plethora of experience
in coaching and leadership. In addition to his role at LSE, he is an Assistant Professor at Hult International
Business School and a Visiting Lecturer at West London College.
GetSmarter, with whom LSE are collaborating to deliver this online course,
provide a personalised approach to online education which ensures you’re
supported throughout your learning journey.
LSE MBA Essentials online certificate course
Head Tutor
The Head Tutor is a subject expert who manages the course presentation. An integral part
of your learning journey, they lead a team of Tutors who provide direction, guidance, feedback
and support.
DR KATIE BEST
LSE Chief Examiner
Katie is an experienced business and leadership educator, with a track record in designing and delivering
high-impact learning programmes. She takes an interactive, creative approach to training, lecturing and
development – using coaching, facilitating and creativity techniques to help students on their learning
journeys. She has been published in top-ranking academic journals, including Organization Studies and
Human Relations, and carries out consultancy and research in the fields of leadership, strategy and
communication, with a particular interest in video methods and organisational space. She has worked for and
with LSE since 2012 – first as a Foundation of Management Education Fellow, and now as Module Leader on
Core Management Concepts, and Head Tutor on MBA Essentials. Other partners she has worked with include
Cass Business School, University of Law, Kaplan, ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and
Wales), the V&A Museum, KPMG and Lewis Silkin LLP.
YOUR SUCCESS TEAM
GetSmarter, with whom LSE are collaborating to deliver this online course, provide
a personalised approach to online education which ensures you’re supported throughout
your learning journey
TUTOR TEAM SUCCESS MANAGER GLOBAL SUCCESS TEAM
Subject experts who’ll Your one-on-one Available 24/7 to solve your
guide you through support available tech-related and administrative
during University hours queries and concerns
content-related challenges
(9am - 5pm UK) to resolve technical
and administrative challenges
LSE MBA Essentials online certificate course
A POWERFUL WHAT ARE
COLLABORATION LSE ONLINE
The London School of Economics and
Political Science is collaborating with online
CERTIFICATE
education provider, GetSmarter, to create a
new class of learning experience — one that
COURSES?
is high-touch, intimate, and personalised for
LSE is dedicated to addressing global issues
the working professional.
through research and education, and is the most
international of all British universities. By offering
WHAT IS LSE? online certificate courses, designed by expert LSE
faculty members, the School aims to make its state
The London School of Economics and Political of the art social sciences research and insights
Science (LSE) is the world’s leading dedicated available to a wider global audience. The supported,
social science university. LSE was founded in interactive online learning model allows students to
1895 with the aim of understanding the causes study from anywhere in the world, at times of their
of things for the “betterment of society”. This convenience, whilst still interacting with peers and
is still at the heart of LSE and we seek to teaching staff alike.
make our research and teaching practical and
relevant to the real world. The School counts
16 Nobel Prize winners and 34 world leaders
WHAT IS
amongst its alumni and staff. The most
international of all British universities, LSE has
GETSMARTER?
students from over 160 countries, and over GetSmarter, a wholly-owned subsidiary of 2U, Inc.,
100 languages spoken on campus. Graduates is a digital education company that partners with
of LSE earn higher incomes, on average, than the world’s leading universities to select, design and
those of any other university in the United deliver premium online short courses with a data-
Kingdom, and the School has educated more driven focus on learning gain.
billionaires than any other in Europe.
Technology meets academic rigour in our people-
mediated model which enables lifelong learners
across the globe to obtain industry-relevant skills
Learning online that are certified by the world’s most reputable
academic institutions.
Find out what it’s like
Take a tour of your
Online Campus
LSE MBA Essentials online certificate course
HOW YOU’LL in Adobe PDF Reader, view Microsoft PowerPoint
presentations, and read and create documents
LEARN in Microsoft Word. In addition, you may need
to install Adobe Flash Player to view the video
This course is broken down into manageable, lectures, resources and activities available in
weekly modules, designed to accelerate your each course module. Both Adobe applications
learning process through diverse learning are available for download:
activities: Click here for Adobe Reader
Click here for Adobe Flash Player
• Work through your instructional
material online
Browser requirements
• Collaborate with your classmates on projects
We recommend that you use Google Chrome
via the discussion forum and online hangouts
as your internet browser when accessing
• Enjoy a wide range of interactive content,
the Online Campus. Although this is not a
including video lectures, live polls, scenario
requirement, we have found that this browser
simulations, and infographics
performs best for ease of access to course
• Investigate current, real-world case studies
material. This browser can be downloaded here.
• Apply what you learn each week to
quiz assessments and ongoing project
submissions, as you gain the key business
Additional requirements
skills to thrive in any environment. Certain courses may require additional software
and resources. These additional software and
resource requirements will be communicated to
TECHNICAL you upon registration and/or at the beginning of
the course. Please note that Google, Vimeo, and
REQUIREMENTS YouTube may be used in our course delivery, and
if these services are blocked in your jurisdiction,
Basic requirements you may have difficulty in accessing course
In order to complete a course, you’ll need a content. Please check with a Course Consultant
current email account and access to a computer before registering for this course if you have any
and the internet. You should be familiar with concerns about this affecting your experience
using a computer and accessing the internet, with the Online Campus.
as you may need to be able to read documents
LSE MBA Essentials online certificate course
MBA Essentials
ONLINE CERTIFICATE COURSE
Ready to elevate your influence?
REGISTER NOW
CONTACT US
UK: +44 2038 568 850 | GLOBAL: +44 2038 236 998
EMAIL: [email protected]
