Williamson Family Professor of Business Administration and Thurnau Professor 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: Welcome to Making Successful Decisions Through the Strategy, Law & Ethics Model
- Video: Course Goal and Game Plan
- Reading: How to Succeed in this Course
- Reading: Help us learn more about you!
- Reading: Earning a Course Certificate
- Video: Introduction to the University of Michigan
- Reading: About the Professor
- Reading: Syllabus
- Reading: Suggested Readings
Module 2: Use the Three Pillar Model for Personal, Leadership, and Business Decisions
- Reading: After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Reading: Suggested Readings
- Video: Use the Three Pillars for Personal and Leadership Decisions
- Video: Use the Three Pillars for Business Decisions
- Video: Recognize the Gap Between the Strategy Pillar and the Law Pillar
- Video: Close the Gap: Become a Legally Savvy Leader
- Video: Course Organization and a Practical Decision-Making Tool
- Video: Develop a Global Mindset
- Video: Understand Litigation from a Global Perspective
- Video: Beware of the Impact of “Discovery” on Your Daily Work
- Graded Assignment: Show What You Know
Module 3: Use Employment Law to Attract and Retain the Best Business Talent
- Reading: After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Reading: Suggested Readings
- Video: Employee Legal Rights: The Big Picture
- Video: Understand Wrongful Discharge Law: US vs Other Countries
- Video: Beware of Exceptions to the Employment at Will Rule
- Video: Manage Your Wrongful Discharge Risks
- Video: Manage Your Defamation Risks
- Video: Understand Anti-Discrimination Laws and Sexual Harassment
- Video: Manage Sex Discrimination Risks: A Case Study
- Video: Value Creation: Attract and Retain the Best Talent
- Graded Assignment: Show What You Know
Module 4: Meet Your Customers’ Needs: Transform Product Liability into Product Innovation
- Reading: After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Reading: Suggested Readings
- Video: Understand the Intentional Tort “Baggage” that Can Destroy a Business
- Video: Understand Your Risks from Negligence and Strict Liability
- Video: Recognize the Business Liability Risks That Arise From Actions of Employees
- Video: Manage Your Risks Caused by Employee Torts: A Cell Phone Example
- Video: The “Two Hats” You Wear When Dealing with Product Liability
- Video: Exercise Care When Giving Warranties
- Video: Override the Implied Warranties That Accompany Your Products
- Video: Understand the Dramatic Impact of Strict Liability on Your Business
- Video: Balance Risk and Benefits When You Design Products
- Video: Create a Corporate Veil to Manage Your Product Liability Risks
- Video: Use a Product Safety Team to Minimize Your Product Liability
- Video: Use Your Product Liability Process to Create Value Through New Product Development
- Graded Assignment: Show What You Know
Module 5: Create Business Opportunities Through Government Regulation
- Reading: After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Reading: Suggested Readings
- Video: Understand These Fundamentals of Government Regulation
- Video: Beware of the Government’s Administrative Process
- Video: Use These Strategies and Tactics to Influence Development of the Law
- Video: Focus on Compliance and the Fifth “P” of Marketing to Manage Regulatory Risk
- Video: Value Creation: Use the Regulatory Frontier Strategy and the Regulatory Gap Strategy to Develop New Products and New Business Models
- Graded Assignment: Show What You Know
Module 6: Use Your Intellectual Property to Create Shareholder Value
- Reading: After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Reading: Suggested Readings
- Video: Understand the Value of Intellectual Property in Your Business
- Video: Understand How Trademarks Affect Your Business Success
- Video: Build Your Brand with These Types of Marks
- Video: Avoid These Trademark Problems
- Video: Decide When to Use Copyright Protection
- Video: Use Lessons from “The Social Network” and Other Examples
- Video: Know When Your “Fair Use” of Copyrighted Works is Allowed
- Video: Use This Checklist of “Reasonable” Efforts to Protect Your Trade Secrets
- Video: Understand How Trade Secret Rights Arise
- Video: Use These Key Lessons to Create and Protect Your Trade Secrets
- Video: Use the Power of Patents to Protect Your Discoveries and Inventions
- Video: Understand the Seven Step Process Before Deciding to Obtain a Patent
- Graded Assignment: Show What You Know
Module 7: Develop Contracts that Create Value for Both Sides
- Reading: After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Reading: Suggested Readings
- Video: Introduction to the Contract Module
- Video: Understand International, Business, and Personal Perspectives on Contracting
- Video: Know the Sources of Contract Law
- Video: Enter into an Agreement
- Video: Include Consideration and Determine Legality
- Video: Avoid Traps from Contract Writing Requirements
- Video: Focus Your Contracts on Business Objectives for Value Creation
- Graded Assignment: Show What You Know
Module 8: Use Dispute Resolution Processes for Value Creation
- Reading: After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Reading: Suggested Readings
- Video: Understand Why Dispute Resolution Is Important to Business Success
- Video: Prevent Business Disputes
- Video: Understand ADR Concepts
- Video: Use These ADR Management Tools
- Video: Resolve Your Disputes Through Arbitration
- Video: Resolve Your Disputes Through Arbitration (Conclusion)
- Video: Resolve Your Disputes Through Mediation
- Video: Resolve Your Disputes Through Mediation (Conclusion)
- Video: Closing Thoughts: Create Value and Build Relationships through the Power of Apology and a Life Goals Analysis
- Graded Assignment: Show What You Know
Module 9: Create and Lead an Ethical Business
- Reading: After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Reading: Suggested Readings
- Video: Do Your Ethical Decisions Depend on Your Situation or on Character?
- Video: Use This Process When Making Ethical Decisions
- Video: Consider This Checklist of Guidelines When You Face Ethical Dilemmas
- Video: “Walk the Talk”: How to Lead an Ethical Organization
- Graded Assignment: Show What You Know
Module 10: Final Examination
- Reading: Final Examination: Instructions and Honor Code
- Reading: Post-course Survey
- Reading: Keep Learning with Michigan Online
Grading Policy
Learners must pass all graded assignments. The final exam is worth 100% of the total course grade.
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
