BSchool.com Business Schools Directory

The biggest problem that budding entrepreneurs have is not the lack of ideas, resources or opportunities – what’s lacking is the push to kick start their ventures for fear of failure. It may be clichéd, but it works, so I’m going to repeat it again – it’s better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all. Failure is not the end of the road; in fact, it’s the beginning of a new road where you have the added advantage of the experience gained from your failed venture. So, to quote another oft-used cliché, treat failure as a stepping stone to success.

Those who dare to try are the ones who somehow find the energy, motivation and determination to keep going, against all odds. And for those emerging business magnates, here are a few pointers to help add value to the way you do business:

•    Time and tide wait for no man: Only the parents of a premature baby know the true value of a month; only the man who has missed his flight or train knows the true value of a minute; time is relative, it means different things to different people. But once it’s gone, it can never come back. So use your time efficiently and productively. What you can do today, never put off for tomorrow, for you don’t know what the morrow may bring. 
•    A penny saved is a penny earned: You’re not in the business just to make money; you’re in it to also learn how best to manage your money. The best way to do this is to reduce your day to day and overhead costs as much as you can. Avoid wasting electricity, water and other utilities to both conserve them and to prevent wasting good money that could be put to better use. Remember, every small effort counts towards your greater success. So if you’re careful about the small things in life, you’re likely to be the same way about the things that make a difference too. 
•    The customer is king: Any business is dependant on its customers and their goodwill for its survival and growth. As a startup, you must focus on building up a customer base by offering products and services that are of good quality. In order to make people come to you from the competition, you have to offer them something extra at first, maybe as a promotional offer. And when they do come, you need to make them stay and become loyal customers with the quality of the goods you offer and the service you provide. In this day and age, a lot of emphasis is placed on customer service – one wrong word or expression could get you blasted all over the blogosphere and send your fledgling business plummeting downwards. So treat your customers well, and watch them come back for more.
•    Loyalty pays: I’m talking of loyalty you need to earn from your staff members and the people who work for you. Treat them well, with the respect they deserve, and you’ll see them stick with you through thick and thin. And then there’s the question of remuneration – if you pay peanuts, don’t be surprised to find a group of monkeys working for you. Pay well, according to industry standards, and you’ll be blessed with a workforce that’s both happy and productive.

MBA salaries have started to lose their prominence within the business world as the economy has taken a dive, but they have gained another valuable field of entrepreneurs.  While the Wall Street-driven business students have lost the hope of a future career in that sector of the business world, a new sector has opened up for the budding business student.  New businesses spring up all the time, and many MBA students have opted to go this route instead of the traditional high-level executive position. 

However, this change in status position has meant a change in MBA salaries as well.  While many students may be hesitant to start a new business and devote their time and money to it, other students see this as a viable alternative to unemployment.  MBA salaries have fluctuated with the economy and therefore have presented MBA students with a new option for graduation.  In order to attain a salary they wished for in beginning business school, many students have now opted for opening a creative business that is far from the original idea of Wall Street banking. 

Students of business still have viable options to make higher salaries through other creative business ventures.  Far from being worth a less amount, MBA degrees have now become a better way for students to experience different options when the economy shifts slightly.  Students currently in business school have the best option so far because degree programs have been modified to encourage new outlets for business degrees.  Therefore, these classes are highly valuable to business majors because they teach students how to gain a prominent position even when the economy takes a turn for the worse. 

While MBA salaries may have lessened in price in some aspects, they have not lost their quality and are still applicable in many different scenarios throughout the business world.  It is just a simple matter of finding your own niche in the business world and applying your educational background to it.  MBA salaries will slowly return back to the position they once were, but in the mean time, current MBA salaries do not have to decrease in price.  Simply finding a different way to apply business degrees is a way to grow in the professional world and helps many students discover how to evolve with economic times.

If you walked into an MBA class three years ago, you may see a brief history of Wall Street, some words of where it evolved from and how it continues on its course.  However, the past two years have demonstrated that not every financial outlet is safe from a complete meltdown, and professors are now incorporating this lesson into their courses.  Online MBA programs are following the lead from many traditional professors of Ivy League schools who have begun to dramatize the effects of the financial crisis in an effort to better prepare their business students to make it through any future crises. 

The fact that the financial crisis has affected nearly every part of American life is reason enough to study it so quickly after it happened, but has additionally helped alter the best online MBA programs in only a few months.  Many schools have now incorporated such distinctive classes into their programs so that students can research past financial breakdowns and understand what went wrong and what they could do differently in the same situation.  In an effort to be considered for a spot in the best online MBA programs, many online schools have now included such programs in their curriculum so that future business professionals can be better schooled in how to handle an impending financial crisis in the future. 

Many schools have included courses that evaluate major players in the financial crisis, such as Bernard Madoff and Richard Fuld.  Analyzing the way these major business executives conducted themselves and helped lead to their downfall is important for many future business students, as well as teaching the moral values of business school.  Additionally, many of these programs have begun to incorporate past historical events and apply them to our current economic state, such as British imperialism and postcolonial literature.  For many professors, this is a perfect time for students to retreat to the past for enouragement of how to proceed in the future. 

An optimistic future for business students has given way to one that is more uncertain for many students: no longer are there constant job opportunities for business executives or even entry-level internships at major business firms.  However, this has only led to a restructuring of many online MBA programs so that students are better equipped to face whatever challenges may come their way.

Our nation has undergone many shifts in economics and business; this is only another stepping stone to our future.  Preparing a new class of students to better handle financial fluctuations is an important part of reevaluating many business schools and preparing the best possible MBA programs.

One of the most talked about items to come up in the battle between McCain and Obama, has been the subject of “Joe the Plumber.” Joe Wurzelbacher, a Plumber from Ohio, questioned Obama’s economic plan. As someone who was looking to start a small business, Obama’s plan, which involves plans for healthcare, tax cuts, and the environment, certainly will have an effect (either positively or negatively) on Joe’s life.  With this in mind, here’s a list of key points of Obama’s economic plan, and how it may affect your business.

1. Tax Cuts – Obama’s tax cuts are aimed specifically for those persons who make less than $250,000 a year. For small businesses, and people who are planning on starting one, this could seem rather disconcerting. However, according to Obama’s economic plan, people who want to start small businesses will have many options available for tax credits. Essentially, Obama doesn’t want to discourage entrepreneurship. He’d rather tax CEOs of large corporations. The fact remains though, that if you are making more than $250,000 a year, you will most likely see tax increases. Barack Obama also plans on removing all capital gains taxes for start-up businesses. Also, if Obama’s tax cuts help the middle class as much as he claims they will, then consumers should have more money to invest in luxury items and services. For Joe the Plumber, it might mean people taking care of the plumbing issues sooner, because they won’t be as financially strapped.

2. Hiring Incentives – Obama’s plan involves significant focus on creating new American jobs. Employers will be receiving tax credits, and perhaps other benefits, for hiring new employees, thereby creating new jobs. However, if you plan on starting a small business that will employ workers outside of the US, be prepared for some extra taxes. Obama’s plan is specific in trying to create incentives for US jobs. Additionally, Obama plans on being tough on fair trade, so that Americans won’t be shortchanged on goods and services.

3. Environmental Policies – It’s no secret that Obama believes that Global Warming is a real issue that needs to be addressed by the next President of the United States. As a result, Obama has come up with an extensive plan for energy and the environment. In addition to an emphasis on researching new energy producing technologies, Obama plans to put many environmentally friendly incentives for businesses into law. Businesses that engage in energy conservation will receive tax credits. Additionally, Obama will attempt to institute stricter emissions policies. What this amounts to, is that small businesses will have to pay attention to their environmental impact more so than they do now, if Obama becomes president. The idea is that the Tax Credit will help to offset any costs associated with “going green.” If you own a small business, and Obama becomes president, it’s in your best interests to become environmentally conscious.

4. Military Policies – It’s no secret that Iraq costs billions of US dollars every month. Obama’s plan for withdraw should provide a much needed decrease in military spending. However, it should be noted that Obama also plans on increasing the effort to track down the Taliban in Afghanistan. Small Businesses won’t feel this impact directly (unless they deal in military goods), but the far-reaching economic impacts could certainly affect small business loans, and other business areas.

5. The Bailout – Obama supports the government’s financial bailout just like McCain does (additionally, both candidates seem to be in favor of printing a lot more money). Obama has stated that he will review government budgets, and carry out the current bailout plan. This bailout plan affects small businesses in a variety of ways. However, the most important affect is the ability for entrepreneurs to obtain loans that are traditionally more high-risk. The government is currently coming down hard on financial institutions for giving out loans too eagerly. So, in the future, it seems like no matter who is candidate, it may be harder to get loans. In order to combat this, Obama has also considered  a plan to help entrepreneurs have low-interest loans available to them in order to cover start up costs.

6. Healthcare – Obama has been immovable on his healthcare plan. The effect on small businesses could be of concern to some–especially with the salaries of medical professionals rising so much in recent years. Essentially, Obama’s goal is to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for everyone. How he plans to do this is by lowering the cost that consumer’s pay by an amount over $1,000 on average. It gets muddy as to where this discount will come from. Obama will place pressure on insurance companies themselves to provide lower-cost insurance to persons. However, if the insurance companies cannot, or will not, cooperate, then the discounts may have to be picked up by the employer. Again, Obama defends this by stating that only large corporations which can afford to pay more for their employee benefits will be affected. Obama plans on making healthcare affordable for everyone, and that includes small business owners.

7. Equality – Barack Obama is a staunch supporter of equality within the work place. Essentially, this means that he will not support any company which pays a woman less than a man for the exact same job. In fact, Obama plans to take steps to help eliminate this, and other similar salary discrepancies from occurring. For many companies, this would mean a sometimes significant wage increase for their female workers. You can bet that will make a financial dent. However, for a small business owner, any new legislation concerning equal pay for women would have a nominal effect. The largest descrepencies between male and female pay occurs in large corporations, not in private businesses. In any event, Obama is a stalwart when it comes to equal pay for equal work.

Obama’s economic plan is very aggressive. It has the potential to either help the economy, or just cause more problems. According to Obama, his plan won’t hurt small business owners, but is rather designed to make large corporations pay more taxes, while dealing with greater accountability when it comes to employee benefits. Under Obama’s plan, there will be incentives, via tax credits, for companies to hire more US workers, be environmentally conscious, and provide their employees with affordable healthcare. It remains to be seen if Obama can really accomplish all he hopes to. In any case, if you’re a small business owner, don’t panic if Obama is elected. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t try to be prepared for new challenges that will face the small business owner of tomorrow.

Just because you don’t have the deep pockets or stellar grades it takes to get into top tier schools doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of the same resources these establishments offer. Through open courseware programs, you can access course materials from a wide range of top universities. Whether you decide to take these courses on your own time or just skim through the information, we’ve compiled a list of 100 places to start looking for great business and entrepreneurship information.

Accounting and Finance

These free courses can give you some tips on managing money and making sound investments in your business.

1. Introduction to Financial and Managerial Accounting: This course is designed to help business owners make investment decisions, access managerial performance and place a value on other firms and businesses.
2. Financial Accounting: Through this short course, students will learn the basic concepts of corporate financial accounting and reporting to help make better finance-related decisions.
3. Management Accounting and Control: Learn how the finances of your business function through this course. You’ll get information about product costing, budget control systems, and performance evaluation so that you can plan and monitor the financial success of your business.
4. Introduction to the Art of Venture Valuation: This Columbia University seminar helps you learn how to value potential companies you’d like to invest in, especially those in the technology fields.
5. Mathematics of Finance: This mathematics of finance course is based on homework from Master’s level courses offered at Columbia University. You’ll get a chance to learn about elements of finance that include derivatives, futures, volatility, hedging and more.
6. Finance Theory II: Gain the financial tools and background needed to make good business decisions through this MIT course. You’ll learn the theory behind corporate finance and discover some ways that it can be applied to real-life situations.
7. Financial Management: This course focuses on the financial decisions that you’ll have to make as a manager. It will include information on the valuation of assets, risk management, risk and return, and corporate financing policies.
8. Real Estate Finance and Investment: Learn the basics of real estate finance and investment through this course. You’ll gain insight to the fundamental concepts behind what makes a good real estate investment and learn to apply it in everyday life.
9. Advanced Topics in Real Estate Finance: If you’ve already gotten the basics of real estate finance down and want to up your game in the field, check out this course offered by MIT. You’ll get information on the latest cutting-edge developments in real estate to help you keep up and stay informed.
10. Entrepreneurial Finance: For those building a new start-up, this course could be especially helpful as it focuses on the early stages of company development. You’ll learn about how to raise money, where to get money from, how to value your company and some basic organizational skills for finances.
11. Investments: If you want to learn about financial theory and empirical evidence for making investment decisions check out this course from MIT. Some of the topics touched upon will include portfolio theory, security prices, market efficiency, performance evaluation, and behavioral finance.
12. Early Stage Capital: This course focuses on elements of raising early stage capital and can be a big help to start-ups and young companies. You’ll gain some skills in making the most of advisors, negotiation relationships and finding great sources of funding.
13. Taxes and Business Strategy: If you manage your own business taxes, or just want to understand how they affect your bottom line, this course can be helpful. It attempts to combine education about the basics of business taxes and how they affect administrative issues.
14. Pricing: Improve your business’ pricing strategies and tactics with the information provided in this course. Topics will include pricing in competitive markets, estimating demand, price discrimination, the role of price cues, anticipating competitive responses, pricing in business to business markets, and pricing of new products.

Economics

Make sure you understand the larger factors that are at work in affecting your businesses profits and losses by educating yourself on economics through these classes.

15. Real Estate Economics: Whether you want to work directly in real estate or just need some information to help you make a better decision on purchasing office space, this course from MIT can provide instruction on real estate markets through a study of demographics, location, and government behavior.
16. Economics: Carnegie Mellon offers this introductory course in economics to help you learn the basics of issues like supply and demand, taxation, externalities and wages.
17. Applied Statistics: Through the materials offered in this free online course, you’ll deal with collecting and exploring data, basic inference, simple and multiple linear regression, analysis of variance, non-parametric methods, and statistical computing with all material geared towards practical applications in business.
18. Economic Analysis for Business Decisions: Check out this course to learn about the economic factors that influence making sound business decisions on a microeconomic level.
19. Applied Macro- and International Economics: Learn about big economic factors like GNP, inflation, interest rates, exchange rates and international trade in this wide-reaching course from MIT.
20. Applied Economics for Managers: This course focuses on microeconomics, and provides information on the integration of theory, data, and judgment in the analysis of corporate decisions and public policy.
21. Political Economy I: Theories of the State and the Economy: Get a background in the social sciences for analyzing relations among state, economy, and society in this course. You’ll learn about historical theories of economics, and learn how social ideas have affected the financial market.
22. Global Climate Change: Economics, Science, and Policy: If you don’t think global warming will have an affect on your business, you may want to reconsider. This course examines some of the economic ramifications of climate change and proposed policy measures designed to slow its progress.
23. Global Entrepreneurship Lab: Why limit yourself to a national business when you could be working in the international market as well? This course addresses some of the challenges faced by international businesses and provides advice on working on a worldwide scale.

Communication

Getting ahead in business without good communication skills can be hard, so give yours a boost with help from these top-tier courses.

24. No Sweat Speaking: Check out this short online seminar from Columbia University to help you overcome your fear or nervousness about public speaking. You’ll get access to a series of videos that can offer you some tips and pointers on feeling at ease in front of a group of coworkers, clients or anyone else.
25. Architecture and Communication in Organizations: Think your office space or how its arranged has no effect on the performance of your business? This course may cause you to think differently, showing how workspace can influence the communication and organization of your business.
26. International Multilateral Negotiation: Take this course from Tufts to get some insight into how to negotiate with businesses from around the world to form new deals, open new markets or expand both of your businesses.
27. Management Communication for Undergraduates: If you feel you’re struggling with your communication skills, give this MIT course a try. You’ll build writing, speaking, teamwork, and interpersonal communication skills that can help you to be a more effective manager.
28. Advanced Managerial Communication: Once you’ve mastered some basic communication skills, then consider taking this course which builds on those skills to provide more in-depth instruction. You’ll learn how to deal with a hostile audience, run a meeting and converse successfully with clients.
29. Negotiation and Conflict Management: In any workplace there are bound to be conflicts that arise, but when they do will you know how to effectively resolve them? This course can help you to learn how to diffuse situations and come to resolutions that meet the needs of the parties involved.
30. Communication Skills for Academics: If your business is based in a particularly academic field, you may benefit from this course. You’ll learn skills that can translate not only in the academic world but to business, personal relationships and beyond.
31. Competitive Decision-Making and Negotiation: This MIT course is based on twelve negotiation exercises designed to simulate real life business experiences. It will cover topics like distributive bargaining, mixed-motive bargaining, auctions, fair division and more.
32. Power and Negotiation: Want to build your negotiation skills to the benefit of your business? This course may be able to offer some assistance. You’ll get insights into how to successfully work towards a deal within new and existing business relationships.
33. Listening to the Customer: Communication isn’t just about conveying ideas within your office but with your customers as well. This course will help you learn to better get feedback from your customers about your products and services so you can create more effective marketing plans and products.

Management

Management plays an essential role in keeping any business running smoothly. Ensure you and your employees are working to their full potential with some advice from these free courses from some of the best online schools.

Optimization Methods in Management Science: In this course, you’ll learn about the theory, algorithms, and applications of optimization to help you better control the logistics, manufacturing, transportation, marketing, project management, and financial issues of your business.
34. Operations Management: By taking this courses, you’ll learn about design, planning and control of manufacturing and service operations. This can include operation analysis, quality management, project management and supply chain management.
35. The Nuts and Bolt of Business Plans: Unclear how to put together a fool-proof business plan? This course can provide some guidance and make it easier to get your business ideas off the ground.
36. Strategic Management I: This course is designed to cover the emerging issues in strategic management including technology and global markets while providing a firm foundation in more traditional ideas as well.
37. Strategic Management II: For those who enjoyed the material from Strategic Management I, this course provides a means to expand those theoretical ideas into real-life business scenarios.
38. Managerial Psychology: Get into the heads of your coworkers and employees with this course. You’ll use behavioral science theories, methods, and tools to analyze situations that you may encounter in the workplace and understand them from a psychological viewpoint.
39. Game Theory for Managers: While it might sound like fun, this course is serious when it comes to business applications. It is designed to help students think strategically in complex, interactive environments with clients, customers and employees.
40. Communicating With Data: This course provides insight into ways that managers can use data of all kinds to make informed and sound business decisions.
41. Advanced Corporate Risk Management: With any business venture there is always an element of risk involved. This course focuses on businesses and how they can best manage issues like hedging, liability, risk, control and more.
42. Strategic Management and Consulting Proseminar: Theoretical Foundations: This course focuses on key issues to management like winning customer trust, business efficiency, shareholder value, globalization and motivating employees.
43. Seminar in Operations Management: Those interested in operations management will find this course of interest. It cover the purposes and development of Technology Roadmaps for showing "development paths for various technological domains and the industries that build on them."
44. Management of Supply Networks for Products and Services: If you’re selling a product, a big part of doing so is making sure it gets out there on time and in one piece. This course provides some insight into how to manage these supply networks to ensure they stay up and running smoothly.
45. Theory of Operations Management: The focus of this operations management is on customer-driven businesses. You may be able to draw some pointers to use in your own business to create management operations that function similarly to these cutting-edge businesses.
46. Introduction to Operations Management: This is a relatively short course offered through MIT that discusses problems and analysis related to the design, planning, control, and improvement of manufacturing and service operations.
47. Strategic HR Management: The biggest asset of any business is the people that help run, organize and maintain its daily activities. This course can help you learn to more effectively manage your HR department and build a high-performance and satisfied group of employees.
48. System Dynamics Self Study: Through a series of readings and online exercises, students in this class will learn how to apply the basics of system dynamics to their workplace and business practices.
49. Sociology of Strategy: Check out this course to get a better understanding of the work sociologists are doing to understand strategy in businesses. This can shed some light on business performance, market interaction, competition and more.
50. Applications of System Dynamics: This course employs a hands-on method to system dynamics, allowing students to understand how they function in a real-world setting to make managerial and consulting decisions.

Leadership

These courses can help you be a better leader by teaching you important skills like working as a team, ethics, and how to work with a diverse group of people.

52. Cross-Cultural Leadership: This course explores what constitutes effective leadership across cultures. It can be especially valuable for business owners who are working in a global environment.
53. Leadership Tools and Teams: A Product Development Lab: If you’d like to explore your creative side, consider checking out this online course from MIT. It aims to have students develop tools that will help other students develop their leadership abilities.
54. Practical Leadership: Want to get some insight into your leadership abilities? This course provides readings and the chance to evaluate your own leadership skills as you move through the material.
55. Leadership Lab: This workshop is designed to help promote social responsibility and improve business success. Students will look at existing companies as examples and work through ideas and observations about what makes them successful.
56. People and Organizations: Check out this MIT course to learn about the historical evolution and current state in which scientists, engineers and other professionals work. Managers can learn how to deal with negotiations, teamwork and leadership no matter what field they’re working within.
57. Dynamic Leadership: Using Improvisation in Business: Want to be able to lead a business meeting off the cuff or come up with new ideas for working in teams on the spot? This course focuses on applying improvisation concepts in business situations.
58. Literature, Ethics and Authority: In this course, you’ll use works of literature to explore ideas of ethics and authority and find ways that these can be applied to the workplace.
59. Building and Leading Effective Teams: Managers and project leaders can benefit from this course to build leadership skills that will allow them to better help employees to work together effectively.
60. Leading Organizations II: This course analyzes the human processes underlying organizational behavior and change from a psychological and sociological standpoint.
61. Designing and Leading the Entrepreneurial Organization: Through the materials provided in this MIT course, students will learn how to build, organize and grow an organization.
62. Individuals, Groups, and Organizations: Check out this course to learn the basic concepts for understanding individual, group, and organizational behavior and how individuals function within the workplace.
63. Ethical Practice: Professionalism, Social Responsibility, and the Purpose of the Corporation: This MIT course allows students to explore theoretical concepts in business ethics as well apply these theories to real-life cases that represent the challenges they will likely face as managers

Marketing and Advertising

If you’ve got a product or service to sell, you need to get your name out there. These courses can give you some helpful ways to better market your business.

64. Brand Leadership/E-Seminar 1, Brand Identity and Strategy: Professor Bernd Schmitt of Columbia Business School explains the steps businesses must take when marketing themselves to develop a successful brand identity in this online seminar, using real companies to illustrate his points.
65. Brand Leadership/E-Seminar 2, Experiential Branding: Learn why it’s not enough to simply promote the features of your products in part two of this online seminar offered by Columbia University. You’ll gain insight into how to market the "experiences" of your products to increase the effectiveness of your selling.
66. Brand Leadership/E-Seminar 3, Branding and the Creative Organization: Give this seminar a try to learn how to better organize your company to foster a creative environment that can help you to better build and maintain your brand. It’s the third and final part of the program offered by Columbia University.
67. Introduction to Marketing: This basic marketing course covers the 5 C’s: Customer needs, Company skills, Competition, Collaborators, and Context.
68. Special Seminar in Marketing: Marketing Management: Give this course a try to learn some key marketing terms and occurrences and to develop your skills in supporting and defending your argument for marketing decisions.
69. Marketing Management: This course from MIT provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts of marketing which can include customer orientation, attention to competition and building core strengths.
70. Strategic Marketing Measurement: What to know how to deal with the market when it comes to branding your products? This course is dedicated to helping business owners and students to learn how to develop market research surveys and develop the techniques needed to analyze them.
71. Marketing Strategy: This course can help students to develop marketing strategies, evaluate a firm’s opportunities, anticipate competition, and evaluate the sustainability of competitive advantages.
72. Entrepreneurial Marketing: Gain some new perspective on your business’ marketing from this course. You’ll be able to analyze to whom you are trying to sell products and the best ways to do so given your resources.
73. Global Markets, National Policies, and the Competitive Advantages of Firms: Gain a global perspective on your business business by studying the interaction between environment and business around the world in today’s fast-changing economy.

Product Development and Launch

These courses can give you some help on successfully developing new products and getting them out to your buyers.

74. Managing the Innovation Process: Get a handle on the research and development going on in your business through this course which analyzes the process through through five levels: individual, team, network, organizational, and industrial.
75. How to Develop "Breakthrough" Products and Services: In order to be successful, your business will need to develop unique and profitable products and services. This course can help you to use new ideas in innovation to more easily develop breakthrough products.
76. Organizing for Innovative Product Development: Topics in this course include technology transfer, relations between science and technology, and the innovation process to help you learn to more effectively organize your process of development.
77. Developmental Entrepreneurship: See both successful and failed businesses in this course to see what kind of new business products and models work and which may lead to financial issues.
78. Data Mining: With technology making it easier than ever to collect data relevant to your business how can you get through it all and use it to make effective decisions? This course will help you learn how to store, manage and analyze data so you can make informed decisions about marketing and investment.
79. Supply Chain Planning (SMA 6305): This course from MIT focuses on how to plan and integrate supply chain components into a coordinated system to ensure your products arrive when and where they are supposed to.

Technology

No business can run without technology these days, so ensure you have a handle on the IT technologies it takes to keep your business in good shape through these courses.

81. Practical Information Technology Management: If you feel you don’t have the background to make sound business decisions about IT, give this course a try. You’ll gain insight into how to implement, maintain and manage these systems to the benefit of your business.
82. Computer Science 162: UC Berkeley provides this computer science course which will cover some of the basics and give even those without the greatest knowledge of technology a good foundation for understanding the information systems keeping their business running.
83. Integrating eSystems & Global Information Systems: This course will teach you how careful coordination of strategic applications, information technologies, and organizational structures can help you to build a successful IT foundation for your business.
84. Information Technology Essentials: For those with little background in computer science this course can be a good introduction to issues in technology concepts and trends in using information management systems.
85. Information Technology I: This course is designed to help students understand technical concepts underlying current and future developments in information technology.
86. Information Technology as an Integrating Force in Manufacturing: Business leaders and owners without a knowledge of technology could be at quite a disadvantage as this class shows. Students will learn how to integrate information systems into their manufacturing process to make for more profitable and streamlined business practices.
87. Generating Business Value from Information Technology: Learn how to make your IT investments more valuable to your business in the short and long term through the guidance of this MIT course.
88. Technology Strategy: If you’re managing a high-tech business, this course can provide some helpful and interesting information on how to maintain a balance between innovation and demand.
89. Systems Optimization: Models and Computation (SMA 5223): This course can be a big help to managers or engineers who are trying to make their businesses or designs more efficient. Students will learn how to use strategic models and apply them to real-life situations.
90. Network Optimization: Make sure your business’ network is created in the right way with some help from this course. Students will learn about network flow issues that can affect everything from IT to project management.
91. Queues: Theory and Applications: This course deals with the "modeling and analysis of queuing systems, with applications in communications, manufacturing, computers, call centers, service industries and transportation."

Law

These college courses can help you make sure you know the legal rights and regulations that apply to your business.

91. Law for the Entrepreneur and Manager: Through his course, you’ll gain a basic understanding of legal issues that corporations and businesses face when organizing, getting financing, protecting intellectual property, working internationally and more.
92. Patents, Copyright and the Law of Intellectual Property: Protect your ideas with information from this course which discusses key concepts of U.S. intellectual property law, with emphasis on patents and copyrights and a briefer look at trade secrets and trademarks.
93. The Law of Corporate Finance and Financial Markets: This course provides an introduction to the legal issues surrounding businesses, and covers topics like mergers, regulation, contracts, and liability.
94. The Law of Mergers and Acquisitions: If you’re planning on making a merger or acquisition in the life of your company, you may find this course of interest. You’ll get walkthroughs of how both friendly mergers and unfriendly mergers can take place.
95. Innovative Businesses and Breakthrough Technologies – The Legal Issues: This course covers the legal issues relating to breakthrough technologies, including R&D, the commercialization of new high-technology products, and the liability and regulatory implications of new products and business models to help you best protect the products and services developed by your business.

Field Specific

These courses cover a range of more specific business topics.

96. System Optimization and Analysis for Manufacturing: No matter what it is you’re producing you want to make sure you’re doing so in the easiest and most cost efficient manner. This course from MIT provides some background on how you can optimize your manufacturing process for the best results.
97. Principles of Industrial Hygiene: Johns Hopkins provides this course which helps those working in an industrial or manufacturing environment to understand how to maintain a clean and safe workplace environment for employees.
98. Competition in Telecommunications: Through a series of readings in this MIT course, students will get insight into the economics, strategies and technology behind telecommunications companies to give them a better understanding of the intricacies of working in cable, internet or phone services.
99. Principles and Practice of Drug Development: For those working on developing new pharmaceuticals and medical innovations, this course describes the process and provides information on the myriad of regulatory issues.
100. The Software Business: If you have an interest in starting a software company, this course can be a good place to get some introductory information.