General information

Organizational Behavior
Concentration Information

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Organizational Behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. The Organizational Behavior concentration prepares students for a broad range of industries and roles by providing the leadership and management competencies required to progress from mid-level positions in organizations to higher-level positions with increasing managerial responsibility. It complements more technical concentrations in business analytics, finance and marketing by providing a broader managerial decision-making context to apply and integrate specific tools and techniques.

Possible Career Paths

Consulting
Strategic Planning
General Management

Suggested and Related Courses

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Core Course

201B Organizational Strategy and Structure

Oct 24, 2011 UC Davis MBA Course List Gina Dokko

Strategic management of organizations, including analysis of industries, firm resources and capabilities and corporate strategy. Strategy formulation, implementation and strategic decision-making. Firm and industry life cycles and change. Analysis of organizational design and structure including differentiation and integration.

Elective

223 Power and Influence in Management

Jun 24, 2011 Donald A. Palmer

Most social scientists define power as “the capacity to get what you want over the resistance of others” and influence as “the translation of power into action.” Power and Influence in Management examines the bases of subunit and individual power in organizations, and the means by which subunit and individual power is translated into influence. The course assumes that leaders sometimes must acquire power to be effective, but recognizes that leaders do not always use power in the interests of the organization.

Elective

224 Managing People in Modern Organizations

Jun 24, 2011 Greta Hsu

Modern systems for managing people. Examination of the changing workforce and workplace, emphasizing high-technology and knowledge-intensive organizations. The impact of firms’ environment (competition, product market, regulations) on choices for managing people. The consequences of these choices for firms and managers.

Elective

246 Negotiation in Organizations

Jun 24, 2011 Jim Olson

This course helps students develop the ability to effectively negotiate in a competitive business environment. It focuses on negotiation skill building in the areas of individual conflict management, team management, performance appraisal, corporate impression management and inter-organizational project management. The course will be taught largely through in-class simulations to provide opportunities for experiential learning. The simulations will also allow students to develop a personal style of negotiation by discovering what works best for them in different situations.

Elective

267 Teams and Technology

Jun 24, 2011 Beth Bechky

This course teaches the theory and processes of group and team behavior so that you can successfully manage groups and work effectively in a variety of group settings. The first goal of the course is to provide conceptual guidelines for analyzing and diagnosing group dynamics and determining one’s strategic options as a manager. The second goal is to understand how technological change affects team processes in organizations. Finally, this course will impart practical interpersonal skills for implementing effective strategies for group situations.

Elective

291 Leadership

Jun 24, 2011 UC Davis MBA Course List

This course will focus on effective strategies for leading and managing companies. CEOs and business leaders are scheduled to speak in class and share their experiences in leadership. The course will include strategies and tools applicable for managers at all organizational levels.

Elective

216 Managing Professionals: Budgets, Controls and Ethics

Jun 24, 2011 Jerome Suran

Deals with the performance and productivity measures, control requirements and ethical responsibilities that occur in managing professional-type organizations. Such organizations include engineering groups, scientific laboratories, business consulting firms, law offices, and veterinary and medical establishments.

Elective

245 Business Writing

Jun 24, 2011 UC Davis MBA Course List

In “Business Writing: Writing for Leadership,” students will sharpen their writing skills markedly, whatever their entry level. They’ll develop styles that are pitch-perfect for the varied situations that face managers and CEOs. Finally, they’ll learn to think strategically about each communication challenge, be it routine or a watershed event. Grammatical structure, word choice, and punctuation will be reviewed to eliminate embarrassing flaws. By the end of this class, most students have learned how to say the same thing, better, with a third fewer words.

Elective

268 Management Communications

Jun 24, 2011 UC Davis MBA Course List

Speaking effectively is a craft. By giving brief presentations in each of the seven classes, students will learn all the basics, such as modulation and controlling speed. Additionally, the keys to good preparation and managing any degree of anxiety will be taught. Group critiques occur in a positive environment.

Core Course

268 Articulation and Critical Thinking

Jun 24, 2011 UC Davis MBA Course List Colin Biggs

Develop competency in business writing and oral presentations. Build critical thinking skills. Topics include behavioral economics, false claims, deductive reasoning, correlation/causality, business ethics.

Elective

297 International Study Trip

Dec 20, 2011 UC Davis MBA Course List L. Wilton Agatstein

This course is led by students under a faculty’s supervision. Participating students select a country to study, identify industry sectors to explore, and establish contacts with business executives in various companies to meet during the field trip. The field trip takes place between the winter and spring quarters (Intersession). The class meets every other week to facilitate the learning about international trade, country profiles, industry sectors, and business practices based on student-driven secondary research and presentations.

Elective

290 Robert A. Fox Executive-in-Residence

Jun 24, 2011 UC Davis MBA Course List

Course description varies with instructor

About the Robert A. Fox Executive-in-Residence Program:

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General information

Sep 27, 2011 Apply Online Read Cammi Cardon's Blog about her internship at AT&T UC Davis MBA Curriculum

Apply Online
Invest in yourself. Begin your MBA application today.

Jun 9, 2011

Highlight

Read Cammi Cardon’s Blog about her internship at AT&T

Sep 27, 2011

Overview

UC Davis MBA Curriculum
Preparing Innovative Leaders for Global Impact

Jun 2, 2011

We have strengthened our internationally ranked UC Davis MBA program with a new, innovative curriculum that further integrates globalization, responsible business ethics and sustainability. The goal: To better prepare you with the real-world practice, analytical and technical skills, and leadership training you need to succeed.

Build Your Foundation

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Our new curriculum is anchored by IMPACT, a new, two-part capstone course.

In this course, Integrated Management Project and Articulation and Critical Thinking, you’ll sharpen your writing, speaking and critical-thinking abilities and then put those collective business skills and knowledge to work on an optional 10-week team projects for client companies ranging from Fortune 500 firms to ultra-fast-paced Silicon Valley start-ups.

The remaining core courses provide you a foundation in the functional areas of business: accounting, economics, finance, marketing, operations, organizational behavior, statistics and strategy. These management disciplines are examined through case studies, lectures and company analyses that provide illustrations and spark discussion. These courses also introduce you to the broader themes of corporate responsibility, ethics, globalization, innovation and leadership.

Choose Your Concentration

You have the option to pursue a general management study or to choose a concentration guided by a suggested series of elective courses. Most students choose functional concentrations such as:

Electives

A wide selection of electives is available both in the Graduate School of Management and UC Davis graduate departments and professional schools, allowing you to draw upon the university’s extraordinary strengths. Graduate School of Management electives emphasize real-world application of management skills, team projects and managing by innovation and entrepreneurialism.

View Electives