Good management is equal parts knowing and doing. No matter what industry you work in or where you are in your career, a basic understanding of financial, marketing and decision-making principles and other management fundamentals will help you achieve your professional goals - be it getting promoted in your current job, getting ready for a MBA program, or starting your own company.
This Specialization will give you a comprehensive introduction to the practice of management through the lens of four key disciplines: accounting, finance, marketing, and organizational behavior. In each course, you'll analyze real business cases from these four perspectives. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply what you’ve learned to develop a holistic solution to a real-world business dilemma.
This Specialization will provide you with the skill set needed to help achieve the next step in your career.
Foundations of Management Specialization
Boost Your Career with New Business Knowledge . Master Business Management Fundamentals
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How the Specialization Works
Take Courses
A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.
Hands-on Project
Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.
Earn a Certificate
When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.
There are 5 Courses in this Specialization
Course1
Accounting: Principles of Financial Accounting
4.8
708 ratings
Financial Accounting is often called the language of business; it is the language that managers use to communicate the firm's financial and economic information to external parties such as shareholders and creditors. Nobody working in business can afford financial illiteracy. Whether you run your own business, work as a manager or are just starting your career, you want to understand financial information and be able to interact with accountants, controllers, and financial managers. You want to talk business!
This course will provide you with the accounting language's essentials. Upon completion, you should be able to read and interpret financial statements for business diagnosis and decision-making. More importantly, you will possess the conceptual base to keep learning more sophisticated accounting and finance on your own. Do not forget that, as with any other language, becoming proficient with accounting requires constant practice.
Course2
Operational Finance: Finance for Managers
4.8
299 ratings
When it comes to numbers, there is always more than meets the eye. In operational finance, you will learn how to read the “story” that the balance sheet and income statement tells about the company’s operations. The insights you gain from this “financial story” will then become a tool for short-term decision-making at the top management level relating to current assets, current liabilities and the management of working capital. Finally, by the end of the course you will understand the financial consequences of managerial decisions on operations, marketing, etc.
Course3
Marketing: Customer Needs and Wants
4.4
158 ratings
Understanding who your customers are and what they need and want is at the heart of successful marketing strategies. In this course you will explore how to identify and classify customers and the different methods that marketing professionals use to shed light on how they make purchase decisions.
The course will cover the following:
1. Marketing Fundamentals
2. Product, Pricing and Channel Decisions
3. Building Strong Brands
4. Communication Strategy
Course4
Organizational Behavior: How to Manage People
4.6
211 ratings
Peter Drucker, a pioneer in the field of management, once said that people have a perverse tendency to behave like human beings. Of course, we are not machines, and certainly not programmable. But through the study of organizational behavior, we can gain insights into what makes people tick within a work context. Increasing your understanding of your own behavior and that of your colleagues, teams and leaders, is an important first step to bringing positive change to how you and your organization work.
The objective of this course is therefore to provide insight into four key areas:
• Motivation. In this course segment we will understand the concept of motivation and review various perspectives that will help you understand how we can motivate others.
• Leadership. In this part of the course, we will analyze the concept of leadership and consider various perspectives and approaches to help shed light on leadership emergence and effectiveness.
• Teamwork. Here we look at team functioning and effectiveness. Using the widely used input – process – output model of team effectiveness, we consider such topics as team diversity, team processes, and team outcomes.
• Culture. Finally, we'll move to the level of the organization and consider the concept of organizational culture, also touching upon the concept of national culture. We look at the various ways in which culture is expressed, and discuss the implications of culture for people within organizations and cross-cultural collaborations.
Instructors
Miguel Antón
Associate ProfessorFinancial Management
Mario Capizzani
LecturerMarketing
Carlos García Pont
ProfessorMarketing Department
Anneloes Raes
Assistant ProfessorManaging People in Organizations
Marc Badia
Assistant ProfessorAccounting and Control
About IESE Business School
For over fifty years, IESE, the graduate business school of the University of Navarra, has been at the forefront of management education, developing and inspiring business leaders who strive to make a deep, positive and lasting impact on the people, companies and society they serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the refund policy?
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Can I take the course for free?
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
This Specialization doesn't carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.
How long does it take to complete the Specialization?
Learners may learn at different paces. However, in general, the specialization takes approximately five months to complete.
How often is each course in the Specialization offered?
Each course is offered on a regular schedule. Sessions normally start about once per month.
What background knowledge is necessary?
The specialization is designed for people with no prior knowledge of business.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
To get the most out of the specialization, it is best to take the courses in the suggested order, completing the program with the Capstone.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
After completing the specialization, you will have a good grasp of the basic building blocks of management. In addition, you’ll have an understanding of decision-making tools you can apply to your own business and professional challenges.
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
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