Owner/President Management Program

Dates and Fees

  • May 16–June 4, 2010

  • $31,000 (Unit I only)
  • The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals.

Your Course of Study

Designed to build your knowledge base over a three-year period, OPM's comprehensive curriculum delves into essential business topics as well as special areas of interest to business owners. Immersed in our pioneering case method, thought-provoking lectures, and enlightening group discussions, you will explore these topics:

Navigating the New Economy

To compete effectively in an evolving economy, entrepreneurs must expand their global viewpoint as well as their portfolio of leadership tools. OPM equips you to better understand, anticipate, and manage change—and drive performance in any environment. You will:

  • Examine the fundamentals of managing performance and develop an effective senior management team
  • Review the role of the leader as the organization's architect and cultural designer
  • Identify ways to develop and communicate your vision for the organization
  • Motivate your employees to fulfill your organizational vision
  • Integrate organizational improvements and inspire teams to work toward a common goal
  • Explore approaches to develop leadership talent throughout your organization

Executing Effective Strategies

As a business owner, you play an essential role in setting—and achieving—your firm's long-term strategic goals. This leadership development program provides the latest insights and proven frameworks you need to position your company for long-term competitive advantage. You will:

  • Examine the concept of strategy: its purpose, key components, and role in building and maintaining competitive advantage
  • Evaluate factors that influence your company's ability to sustain competitive advantage
  • Assess the structural attractiveness of your industry, and identify both the threats and the enablers that impact profitability
  • Determine the competitive environment as well as your organization's strengths and weaknesses
  • Develop a consistent and workable business strategy for your company that addresses both short-term and long-range goals

Leveraging Marketing Tools

Knowing how to attract and retain customers is vital to business success. OPM examines proven ways to assess customer profitability and lifetime value, design and price products, and develop and evaluate promotions as well as other marketing and sales tools. You will:

  • Analyze the key goals of an effective marketing strategy
  • Consider the larger set of marketing tools from a profitability perspective
  • Explore relationships among marketing, sales, product/service development, and operations/service delivery efforts
  • Evaluate and adjust your firm's marketing strategy and allocation of resources
  • Develop growth and change strategies to address your unique market dynamics

Applying Effective Controls

Performance metrics provide the information you need to understand how your company creates value and consumes resources. OPM delivers the tools and analytics required for improving performance measurement and management. You will:

  • Review accounting basics used to develop, analyze, and forecast financial performance and operating results
  • Examine the principles of management accounting systems
  • Utilize accounting data to manage and control costs
  • Apply accounting concepts to make more refined business decisions
  • Use management control systems to achieve profit and performance goals

Maximizing Financial Resources

Having the ability to strategically manage your financial resources is essential to realizing your company's full potential. OPM provides the latest insights and critical tools you need to make more sophisticated financing decisions. You will:

  • Analyze how to support strategy and decision making through financial systems
  • Examine investing options for financing the growth of your business
  • Value business activities to support investments and the purchasing or selling of business assets
  • Leverage a variety of financing options to restructure your business
  • Transfer ownership based on your personal plan
  • Harvest business value by divesting a business unit or selling the firm

Understanding Global Markets

Businesses large and small are global players in today's marketplace. OPM takes a macroeconomic view of the international business environment, providing strategic insights that help you lead your organization through convergence and conflict. You will:

  • Identify the opportunities and challenges of doing business across borders
  • Analyze country context and risk, and decide where to locate your business and key operating units
  • Explore the economic, political, cultural, and social challenges faced by governments and firms conducting business on a global scale
  • Identify approaches for growing your company in a networked world economy

Managing Disruptive Innovation

Executives in many established firms view disruptive innovation as a threat and react by protecting the business. Innovators, however, view disruptions as game-changing opportunities. OPM helps you to identify and exploit these emerging opportunities. You will:

  • Analyze opportunities and risks from a more strategic perspective
  • Turn a viable opportunity into a focused strategy and business initiative
  • Attract top talent and key resources to turn your vision into reality
  • Build the capabilities and organization to launch and nurture early-stage ventures
  • Forecast value in the face of significant uncertainty and risk

Negotiation for Success

Exceptional negotiation skills are critical for executives at every stage of their careers. To that end, OPM addresses the inevitable tensions between self-interest and mutual interest, and competing and cooperating. You will:

  • Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your decision-making and negotiation strategies
  • Test and refine your bargaining skills through carefully structured simulations
  • Explore the importance of building trust in a variety of business relationships

Special Sessions for Business Owners

In conjunction with the modules listed above, OPM also offers special sessions that address the unique challenges facing business owners today. Relevant topics include "Family Business" and "Personal Investing."

In between the three OPM sessions, you will test your newly acquired skills and insights back at work. A unique program that matches participants with Harvard MBA field-study students also is available to help you implement your classroom learning across your company.

"The overall experience of meeting people in positions similar to mine from around the world really set the program apart. More than a year later, I am amazed at how we continue to network and reach out to one another. Along with the learning and networking, the program gave me the confidence to run and grow my company."
Anne Eiting Klamar [President and CEO], Midmark Corporation, U.S.