Materials linked from May 19, 2011 Graduate Council agenda (item #2).
Supplemental Information to Support
Areas of Concentration
Clean Technology Track
Rationale
In the past year, the College has visited with various industry representatives in renewable industries, talked
with various stakeholders, and visited universities in several Asian countries. These dialogues lead us to
believe that clean technology is a growth area in the Oregon economy, and that there is a growing demand for
mid-level managers that understand clean technology, energy-related regulation and managerial skills.
The Clean Technology track is different from those of Portland State University (PSU) and University of Oregon
(UO). Currently, PSU is offering the “MBA+” program in which there are two electives from courses
throughout the university and two required business courses on sustainability strategy and environmental
performance measurement (Managing Sustainable Enterprise and Metrics for Sustainable Enterprise). UO
currently offers a joint degree of MBA and JD (Environmental and Natural Resources Law). In 2012, it will offer
an MBA option on “Sustainable Business Practices.” A comparison of the proposed courses in our College and
course contents in these two schools suggests that ours is more focused and systematic. The strength of our
curriculum in this proposal is that it offers a highly integrated body of knowledge and is multi-disciplinary.
A review of IBPs recently completed in our current Commercialization MBA program demonstrates a growing
demand for commercialization projects of clean technologies from business corporations and research
centers/labs in universities. Over the past five years, 40 percent of the IBPs have focused on the clean
technology sector. Listed at Appendix I are the IBPs that fit within our definition of the clean technology
sector.
Table 1 provides a comparison of the current Commercialization program and the proposed Clean Technology
program. The MBA core curriculum coursework (30 credits) is augmented with two Clean Technology Specific
courses (ACTG 524 and BA 534), three Clean Technology Integrated Business Project (CT-IBP) -specific courses
(BA 566, BA 567 and BA 568) and one elective course.
Implementation Considerations
The CT-IBP will be managed by John Turner, who will teach the BA 566, BA 567 and BA 568 course sequence.
The projects will focus on the commercialization of clean technologies. CT-IBP projects will be identified by the
IBP Selection Committee (Tom Dowling and John Turner) as they gather IBP proposals from our various
constituents (tech transfer office and business partners). Prior to MBA orientation in the fall, we will work to
identify which incoming IBP students will placed in the CT-IBP track (vs the regular 9-month commercialization
track). CT-IBP students will participate in the regular MBA orientation, with special break-out sessions for
project presentations.
The proposed class schedule, presented below, is designed to support the 4-term CT-IBP and allows for
increased flexibility for the multiple year students to complete the MBA Core Curriculum courses
Planned MBA Class Schedule for 2011-2012
Fall
Winter
Spring
1
BA 528
BA 560
BA 562
BA 569
BA 590
BA 531
BA 540
BA 555
BA 561
BA 567
BA 543
BA 550
BA 572
BA 568
Elective
Planned Clean Technology Class Schedule for 2011-2012
Fall
Winter
Spring
BA 531
BA 528
ACTG 524
BA 555
BA 534
BA 540
BA 566
BA 569
BA 561
BA 562
BA 590
BA 567
Summer
BA 550
BA 568
BA 572
Elective
Table 1. Comparison of current Commercialization program and proposed Clean Technology program
Current Commercialization Program
Clean Technology Program
Concept
Entrepreneurship and Innovation with focus Entrepreneurship and Innovation
on the commercialization of technology
with focus on the
commercialization of clean
technology
Integrative
component
IBP
CT-IBP
Nominal
duration
9 months
12 months
Exit hurdle
IBP & final examination
CT-IBP & final examination
Core
Curriculum
33 credits
BA 528 Financial and Cost Analysis
BA 531 Legal Aspects of Tech & E-Bus
BA 540 Corporate Finance
BA 543 Financial Markets & Institutions
BA 550 Organization Management
BA 555 Practical Business Analysis
BA 561 Supply Chain Management
BA 562 Managing Projects
BA 569 Advanced Strategic
Management
BA 572 Advanced Information Systems
BA 590 New Product Development
30 credits
BA 528
BA 531
BA 540
Drop BA 543
BA 550
BA 555
BA 561
BA 562
BA 569
BA 572
BA 590
Additional track NA
credits
6 credits
ACTG 524 Environmental
Accounting and Reporting
BA 534: Environmental
Economics (replaces BA 543)
Project / Thesis 9 credits
9 credits
2
BA560 Venture Planning
BA 566 Clean Technology
Commercialization
replaces BA560
BA567
BA568
BA567 IBP Colloquium
BA 568 IBP
Electives
3 credits
3 credits
Total credits
45 credits
48 credits
New Course Proposal for MBA Clean Technology Track
BA 566. Clean Technology Commercialization [3]
Students will exercise commercialization concepts on recently awarded Clean Technology patents. Students
will learn a process and tools to assess the business viability of a technical idea, and to develop the best
business approach for commercialization.
BA 534: Environmental Economics [3] (Please note – this course is still under development)
This course will outline theory and apply concepts related to basic tools of economics used to analyze
sustainable natural resources and environmental issues from an economic standpoint. The course is built on
the premise that problems arising from the unsustainable use of natural resources can be traced, completely
or in part, to failures in market mechanisms or institutions. The course will use lecture format, videos, and inclass group exercises to learn about how economists apply various tools to analyze and address problems
relating to the understanding and management of environmental problems and issues.
ACTG 524 Environmental Accounting and Reporting [3]
Covers economic and accounting issues relating to corporate social responsibility and environmental
performance. Designed to foster an understanding of how the measurement of social and environmental
performance contributes to business goals and strategies. The course provides a framework to help
understand the nature, purpose and importance of decision-useful and decision-facilitating CSR and
environmental information. PREREQ: BA 528
Proposed new electives for all MBA tracks
BA 5XX. Management of Technology [3]
Examines the technical and managerial challenges of leading innovation in high-tech enterprises and
industries. Particular consideration is given to the forces affecting the nature and rate of technological
innovation and the managerial alternatives available to both established and entrepreneurial organizations.
The course explores sources of innovation, including acquisitions and alliances, real options thinking for
investing under uncertainty, managing new ventures and developing effective processes and organizational
structures for driving sustainable results.
BA 5XX. Emerging Technologies [3]
This course discusses emerging technologies, how they evolve, how to identify them and the effect of
international, political, social, economic and cultural factors on them. Topics covered in the course include
accuracy of past technology forecasts, how to improve them, international perspective on emerging
technologies, future customer trends and forecasting methodologies such as monitoring, expert opinion, trend
analysis and scenario construction.
BA5XX: Environmental Law and Public Policy [3]
3
Explores fundamental legal and policy issues in environmental law, clean energy and sustainability. Covers
federal statutes including the Clean Air Act; the Clean Water Act; CERCLA (the Superfund law); the National
Environmental Policy Act; and the Endangered Species Act. Exposes students to the principal approaches to
environmental law (litigation, command and control regulation, market incentives, and providing information),
as well as to the challenges of setting environmental policy
goals and choosing policy targets. Provides exposure to environmental management systems and risk
management, environmental permitting, agency aspects of energy projects and contract issues related to
buying and selling contaminated property
Research Thesis Track
Rationale
Although our current, IBP-focused MBA program has a number of outstanding characteristics; e.g., it embodies
the entrepreneurial emphasis of the College and provides a clear and distinctive character and integrity that
sets it apart from many other programs, the program lacks opportunities for students and faculty to engage in
joint research. With the demand for MBA education growing, we can expect at least some future students to
be interested in engaging in research with COB faculty. This Area of Concentration is meant to offer those
students and faculty an opportunity to engage in research within the framework of the MBA program.
Implementation Considerations
Duration: It is intended that the Research Thesis Track be completed over a two-year period. Students will
ideally complete the Research Methods and Directed Readings and Conference courses, and defend their thesis
proposal, in the first year and engage in the actual thesis research during the second year. There is no
preferred sequencing of the non-thesis-related course work, although we recommend an emphasis on thesis
work in the second year.
Quality Assurance: Quality of the non-thesis part of program is implicitly assured by the adoption of the core
curriculum coursework within the existing MBA program. Quality of the thesis part is assured by means of two
measures:
The discipline-specific part of the BA505 Reading & Conference course is assembled and approved by
the discipline faculty and the student’s mastery of the material is assured by the associated exam.
Quality of the thesis (BA503) is assured through the thesis committee, including the graduate school
representative.
Resource Requirements: The proposed Research Thesis Track adds two credits to the overall MBA program.
However, it replaces nine credits of IBP that require direct faculty teaching resources with ten academic credits
that do not require these direct teaching resources.
Assuming limited graduate student enrollment, the existing BA 596 (Marketing Research Practicum)
fulfills the Research Methods requirement without additional faculty cost.
The Reading & Conference credits will be absorbed by the faculty advisor as an ‘investment’ in the
research engagement.
The nine credits of current IBP courses (BA560/7/8) will no longer be required and will be absorbed in
the Reading & Conference (four credits) and the six thesis credits. As in the case of Reading &
Conference, the thesis credits will be absorbed by the faculty advisor.
Hence, relative to the faculty resources required for the IBP-focused program (nine credits), the Research Thesis
Track generates ten credits without requiring any (billed) faculty resources.
The Research Thesis Track students must be associated with a thesis committee that has at least two members
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of the major (Business). This implies that for each thesis, a business faculty member must be found as the other
representative of the ‘major’ on the thesis committee member. The third committee member—the graduate
representative—must be recruited from the University at large. Of course, this assumes that graduate
representatives can be found, but since they can be found for all other thesis projects in the University, we see
no reason why they should not be found for an MBA Thesis committee. As in the case of Reading & Conference
and the Thesis, thesis advisors assume committee membership as part of their advising responsibilities and
graduate representatives are not compensated.
The only additional resource claim that applies is space and basic computing facilities. It is common academic
practice that research graduate students have their ‘own’ space where they can work and conduct their
research. Our current MBA students have a dedicated common room and a dedicated computer lab with eight
computers. These facilities tend to get very crowded and are clearly unsuited to accommodate the future
growth of the program. We are in the design phase for the new College of Business Building (Austin Hall). The
current concept is to ensure limited but acceptable spatial and computing resources be incorporated into the
design that can be dedicated to Research Thesis students.
Table 2: Comparison of current (IBP-based) and proposed Research Thesis programs
Current (IBP-based)
Concept
Commercialization
Thesis Area of Concentration
Students and faculty engage in joint
research
Integrative component IBP
Thesis
Nominal duration
9 months
Approximately 2 years
Exit hurdle
IBP & final examination
Thesis & final examination
Core course credits
33 credits
33 credits
(From) existing
BA528 Financial and Cost Analysis
BA531 Law & Ethics for New
Ventures & Emerging Technologies
BA540 Corporate Finance
BA543 Financial Markets
BA550 Organization Management
BA555 Practical Business Analysis
BA561 Supply Chain Management
BA562 Project Management
BA569 Advanced Strategic
Management
BA572 Advanced Information
Systems
BA590 New Product Development
BA528 Financial and Cost Analysis
BA531 Law & Ethics for New
Ventures & Emerging Technologies
BA540 Corporate Finance
BA543 Financial Markets
BA550 Organization Management
BA555 Practical Business Analysis
BA561 Supply Chain Management
BA562 Project Management
BA569 Advanced Strategic
Management
BA572 Advanced Information
Systems
BA590 New Product Development
Area of Concentration NA
added credits
BA 596 Research Methods or
equivalent1 (4 credits). If equivalent
already completed; replace with
elective.
Project / Thesis
BA503 Thesis (6 credits) Prereq: BA505
Reading & Conference (4 credits)
9 credits (IBP BA560/7/8)
5
Electives
3 credits
None required
Total credits
45 credits
47 credits
Individual or group
project / thesis
Group
Individual
1
Students may substitute another ‘research methods’ course for BA 596 with approval of the thesis
committee. The preferred OSU substitutes are
SOC515. Understanding Social Research (very limited access due to existing demand and prereqs,
and
IE594. Research Methods in Engineering.
Also, some students will already have previous training in research methods. Some OSU-based courses
which qualify as such training and which may substitute for BA596 are the following:
AHE562. Introduction of Research Methods in Education
ANTH595. Anthropological Research Design
COMM 514. Communication Research Methods
DHE594. Research Methods in Design and Human Environment
PSY560. Advanced Social Research Methods
SED612. Quantitative Research Design and Critical Analysis
All other cases may be evaluated on an individual basis.
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Appendix I. Past IBPs Related to the Clean Technology Sector
Year Project Name
Description
2006 Earth Renewal Solutions
product providing an animal waste processing method that increases
efficiency and facilitates compliance of livestock operations with
government regulations
Precision Agriculture
a GPS equipped handheld device that accurately and instantly measures
Sensing
water, nitrogen and chlorophyll content in any live deciduous plant leaf
enabling customers to design efficient fertilization and irrigation plans
that meet their unique needs
Sideways Solutions
offers customers a natural alternative to killing germs in the household.
Its product, Grapes of Wrath Disinfectant (GOW), is made from a
patented blend of non-toxic ingredients that are deadly to germs, but
safe for humans and pets
2007 Harmony Estates
residential homebuilders that focus on the construction of
environmentally sustainable communities
Griswold Water
provides chemical-free, energy-efficient water treatment solutions
Technologies
Farm Fuels
sells bio diesel production systems to farmers who have or can grow
enough oil feedstock plants to make bio diesel fuel primarily for their
own consumption
Small Modular Array Lightwater Reactor (SMALR):
2008 Organic Herbicide Systems
Diatom Semiconductors
Integrated Pole Solutions
2009 InnoGreen
CommonSensors
CLS Xchange
Caspian Cooling
Technologies
2010 Cellulosic Ethanol
Production
Chemical Bath Deposition
Process for Solar Panel
Manufacture
High Efficiency Solar
Energy Collection
a new innovative nuclear reactor design that provides clean, safe, and
reliable nuclear power in a conveniently sized modular package
use the latest scientific advances to provide the most effective, low cost,
sustainable bio-herbicide to the organic farming industry
make it possible to have affordable household Light Emitting Diode (LED)
bulbs that generate quality light
provides utility companies with a solution that mitigates the three main
issues facing their utility poles; the use of fewer and less toxic chemicals
in treating wood poles; safe and sturdy poles that provide reliable power;
and economical electricity for rate payers
offered selective organic bioherbicides that will enable grass seed
farmers, organic farmers, and golf course managers to effectively control
grass weeds in an environmentally friendly way
offers a complete technical solution to track and assure the quality of
temperature perishable products during transportation and storage by
monitoring temperature in real time
developed a dealer based market for buying and selling recycled nylon
manufactures and markets central processing unit (CPU) active liquid
cooling products based on novel microchannel technology for compact
electronic cooling
system that will increase ethanol yield by 30-40% from low cost feed
stocks such as straw and corn stalks
a new and inexpensive method for depositing thin films for CIGS solar
cells over large areas
enables the supply of high efficiency, small form-factor solar collection
panels that are ideally suited for urban environments where space is at a
premium
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Novel Biodiesel Production
Process
a ground-breaking continuous catalytic system for converting
triglycerides and alcohols to biodiesel fuel
Viscoelastic Thermal
Compression of Wood
process for manufacturing a high density wood product from low cost
woods such as hybrid poplar which would decrease our dependence
upon mature Douglas-fir forests in the Pacific Northwest for load-bearing
building materials
8