Williamson Family Professor Emeritus of Business Administration and Arthur F Thurnau Professor Emeritus of Business Law
Making Successful Decisions through the Strategy, Law & Ethics Model
What You'll Learn
- Make successful business, personal, and leadership decisions.
- Understand the importance of thinking globally in today's business world.
- Create value for your organization while managing risk in an ethical manner.
- Understand the importance of thinking globally in today's business world.
10 Modules
20 Hours
2 hrs per module (approx.)
Rating
About Making Successful Decisions through the Strategy, Law & Ethics Model
Successful decision making is based on three key pillars: strategy, law and ethics. After taking this course you will be able to use a practical framework based on these three elements to make successful business, personal and leadership decisions.
This course opens with an example of a leadership decision: President Barack Obama’s strategic decision to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. The course then shows how the three elements can be used to prevent a tragedy when making a personal decision.
The rest of the course focuses on making successful business decisions. In essence, to achieve business and career success, you must create value (strategy) and manage risk (law) in a responsible manner (ethics).
Because the Law Pillar plays a central role in the three pillar model, the course includes practical legal briefings (with many examples) on the key elements of business success. Specifically, the course shows you how to:
• attract the best employees,
• develop successful products,
• create new business models,
• protect intellectual property,
• create contracts that achieve business goals, and
• use dispute resolution processes that improve business relationships.
Using a global perspective, the course also provides an introduction to international business culture for learners from the United States, and an introduction to the U.S. business culture for learners from outside the U.S.
Skills You'll Gain
- Decision Making
- Ethical Leadership
- Intellectual Property
- Negotiation Strategies
- Strategic Thinking
What You'll Earn
- Certificate of Completion
- Certificates of completion acknowledge knowledge acquired upon completion of a non-credit course or program.
Welcome Message
Welcome to Making Successful Decisions through the Strategy, Law & Ethics Model, a course that introduces a practical framework for effective decision-making. Learners apply strategy, legal reasoning, and ethical analysis to personal, professional, and leadership decisions.
This abbreviated syllabus description was created with the help of AI tools and reviewed by staff. The full syllabus is available to those who enroll in the course.
Course Schedule
Module 1: Use the Three Pillar Model for Personal, Leadership, and Business Decisions
- Use the Three Pillars for Personal and Leadership Decisions
- Use the Three Pillars for Business Decisions
- Course Organization and a Practical Decision-Making Tool
- Understand the Global World of Business
Module 2: Use Employment Law to Attract and Retain the Best Business Talent
- Employee Legal Rights: The Big Picture
- Legal Briefing: Understand Wrongful Discharge in the U.S. and Elsewhere
- Risk Management: Manage Wrongful Discharge Risks
- Legal Briefing: Understand Anti-Discrimination Laws and Sexual Harassment
- Risk Management: Manage Sex Discrimination Risks (A Case Study)
- Value Creation: Attract and Retain the Best Talent
Module 3: Meet Your Customers’ Needs: Transform Product Liability Into Product Innovation
- Legal Briefing: The Tort Law Fundamentals That Everyone Should Understand
- Manage Risks Caused by Employee Torts: A Cell Phone Example
- Legal Briefing: The “Two Hats” You Wear When Dealing With Product Liability
- Manage the Liability Risks That You Create Through Your Contracts
- Understand the Dramatic Impact of Strict Liability on Your Business
- Manage Your Tort Risks From Making or Selling Products
- Use Your Product Liability Process to Create Value Through New Product Development
Module 4: Create Business Opportunities Through Government Regulation
- Legal Briefing: Government Regulation Fundamentals That Everyone Should Understand
- Government Regulation Risk Management
- Value Creation: Use the Regulatory Frontier Strategy and the Regulatory Gap Strategy to Develop New Products and New Business Models
Module 5: Create Business Opportunities Through Government Regulation
- Understand the Value of Intellectual Property in Your Business
- Create, Protect, and Use Your Trademarks
- Create, Protect, and Use Copyrighted Works
- Create, Protect, and Use Your Trade Secrets
- Create, Protect, and Use Your Patent Rights
Module 6: Develop Contracts That Create Value for Both Sides
- International, Business, and Personal Perspectives on Contracting
- Know the Sources of Contract Law
- Create Enforceable Contracts
- Focus Your Contracts on Business Objectives for Value Creation
Module 7: Use Dispute Resolution Processes for Value Creation
- Understand Why Dispute Resolution Is Important to Business Success
- Prevent Business Disputes
- Understand and Use ADR Concepts and Tools
- Use Arbitration to Resolve Your Business Disputes (A Videotaped Demonstration)
- Use Mediation to Resolve Your Business Disputes (A Videotaped Demonstration)
- Create Value and Build Relationships Through the Power of Apology and a Life Goals Analysis
Module 8: Create and Lead an Ethical Business
- Do Your Ethical Decisions Depend on Your Situation or on Character?
- Use This Process When Making Ethical Decisions
- Consider This Checklist of Guidelines When You Face Ethical Dilemmas
- “Walk the Talk”: How to Lead an Ethical Organization
- Final Exam
Grading Policy
Course materials and assignments remain available for self-paced learning. Learners must earn an overall grade of 80% to pass the course and earn the certificate.
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required
