Previous | Next

Courses: CSS:

Quantitative Methods

• Microcomputers and Information Technologies
• Desktop Applications for Managers
• Gaining Competitive Advantage through Information Technology
• Doing Business in the Internet Economy
• Spreadsheet Models for Managers
• Information Management for Managers
• Statistics for Managerial Effectiveness

CSS 400 Microcomputers and Information Technologies
4 units. Graduate credit $1,250. Prerequisite(s): basic experience using either Windows 95/98/NT or the Macintosh operating system, and some experience using a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word. Limited enrollment.

This course provides a solid foundation in end-user office productivity software for word processing, spreadsheet analysis and modeling, database management, charting, presentations, and appropriate applications for interacting with the World Wide Web and the rest of the Internet. Students learn the conceptual basis of each of these tools and apply them to representative tasks in business and in the home. The emphasis is on using software to organize, analyze, and communicate information. Students should expect to spend 10 or more hours each week working on assignments, usually in Harvard University computer labs. The course demands a high level of commitment to keeping up with class assignments and to learning the use of the software tools.

Back to top of page.

CSS 403 Desktop Applications for Managers (21220)
Chayim Herzig-Marx, PhD, Director of Information Resources and Services, Financial Administration, Harvard University.
4 units. Graduate credit $1,250. Tuesday, 7:35-9:35 pm. Science Center 120. Sections to be arranged. Prerequisite(s): CSS-400 or the equivalent. Limited enrollment. Spring term.

This course is an advanced treatment of desktop software from the manager's perspective, emphasizing an increase in office productivity, integrated information across business systems, streamlined work processes, automation of repetitive tasks, and publishing on the World Wide Web. Students learn techniques for integrating and combining applications and for sharing "best practices" among coworkers. All software and assignments will require the Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating system; students will not be able to complete all assignments using Macintosh computers.

Back to top of page.

CSS 405 Gaining Competitive Advantage through Information Technology (11706)
Janis Lee Gogan, DBA, Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems, Bentley College.
4 units. Graduate credit $1,250. Wednesday, 5:30-7:30 pm. Sever Hall 106. Prerequisite(s): students will be expected to be proficient using PCs and the Internet. A basic understanding of business issues (revenue, profitability, order processing) is desirable. Limited enrollment. Fall term.

This course examines the many ways in which managers can use information technology (IT) to gain competitive advantage in their businesses. Students will develop a solid understanding of the issues involved in applying and managing information technology in real-world situations. Topics: IT concepts, including system development and the business changes wrought by Y2K issues; the network organization, including electronic commerce, intranets and virtual organizations; and strategic IT, including enterprise resource planning, outsourcing, and knowledge management.

Back to top of page.

CSS 407 Doing Business in the Internet Economy (21494)
Tod H. Loofbourrow, AB, President and Chief Executive Officer, Foundation Technologies. Ted Charrette, PhD, Principal Technologist, Fidelity Investments.
4 units. Graduate credit $1,250. Monday, 7:35-9:35 pm. Science Center 102b. Prerequisite(s): CSS-400 or basic computer literacy. Limited enrollment. Spring term.

The Internet opens up fundamentally new ways of doing business for both established and emerging businesses. Course topics include electronic commerce, knowledge commerce, portal/gatekeeper strategies, tools, employer services, auction models, intellectual property, and the emergence of internet business-model patents. We will also study the opportunities for traditional technology players (for example, Microsoft, PeopleSoft) and entrenched conventional businesses (for example, WalMart, Pitney-Bowes) to cross the chasm into an internet business model.

Back to top of page.

CSS 408 Spreadsheet Models for Managers (10740)
Richard Brenner, SM, Principal, Chaco Canyon Consulting. David Beckman, BS, Senior Member, Software Engineering Technical Staff, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory.
4 units. Graduate credit $1,250. Monday, 7:35-9:35 pm. 53a Church Street 2. Sections to be arranged. Prerequisite(s): CSS-400 or equivalent experience with Excel. Limited enrollment. Fall term.

Using commercial spreadsheets, this course explores practical approaches to business modeling, emphasizing the needs of retail, wholesale, service, publishing, or software concerns ranging in size from start-up to global enterprises. Students learn to model costs, revenue, cash flow, plant and equipment requirements, and employee costs and productivity. Students will develop a business model and use it to study how a business responds to change.

Back to top of page.

CSS 412 Information Management for Managers (20747)
Theodore Pappadopoulos, AB, University Datawarehouse Manager, University Information Systems, Harvard University.
4 units. Graduate credit $1,250. Thursday, 5:30-7:30 pm. Science Center A. Sections to be arranged. Prerequisite(s): successful completion of a data-processing course, such as CSS-400. Limited enrollment. Spring term.

Business managers require information management both for personal purposes and company-wide resources. Special emphasis will be placed upon how to build a database that will serve the information needs of some enterprise. This course will introduce the fundamentals of relational database models and database design. Students will build a working database using Microsoft Access. The second part of the course will focus on the practical use of a database, including data entry, querying, reporting, and data import/export. Students also will be exposed to the capability and applicability of spreadsheet and file management systems in managing a database. Students may choose from a variety of software products to complete a final project.

Back to top of page.

CSS 439 Statistics for Managerial Effectiveness (20296)
Robert J. Arnold, PhD, Statistician, Hewlett-Packard Company.
4 units. Graduate credit $1,050. Tuesday, 5:30-7:30 pm. Sever Hall 308. Limited enrollment. Spring term.

This course focuses on solving quantitative problems that confront managers on a regular basis. It shows managers how to understand data and deal with variability, and how statistics relates to process quality. Topics include survey design, descriptive statistics, estimation, hypothesis testing, regression, and contingency tables.

Back to top of page.

Previous | Next