"Yes, we would like to bring the Microsoft business in-house," she says. But schools often lose business to their professors, and must adjust to it. When it comes to custom education, "you're really in competition with your faculty," Lightbody notes. "On the other hand, it's part of your mission" to bring companies in contact with university faculty. "So it's a Catch-22, if you will." --R.H.
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A Corporate Curriculum
Microsoft offers a range of finance topics; interested in "unstructured strategic thinking"?
Analyzing and Presenting Variances (Half day)
Studies calculation of sales volume and product-mix variances, estimates of market-share gains or losses, and use of past data to assess current deviations from expectations. Presentation of results is emphasized.
Financial Analysis, Planning, and Control (One day)
Explores managerial uses of information in decision-making and planning and controlling operations. Topics include cost analysis, variance analysis, business-unit metrics, capital investment analysis.
Financial Decision-Making (Half day)
Using the best information to make decisions on a daily basis. Should products be added or dropped, services outsourced, equipment leased? Includes incremental analysis and present-value techniques.
Performance Measurements (Four hours)
How they drive manager behavior, with a look at alternative measures that link a business unit's strategy to shareholder-value creation. Includes traditional ratios, value creation, and balanced scorecard.
Unstructured Strategic Thinking (One day)
Identifying and evaluating business risks and opportunities quickly, thoughtfully, and creatively. Starts with strategic model/conceptual training, followed by hands-on workshop tied to employee experience.
Finance for Non-Finance Managers (Two days)
Delivers basics on accounting and finance terminology, concepts, and analytical tools for assessing the impact of management decisions in a total financial framework. Uses internal and external information.
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