Seminars
About the Program
Unique! Current! Informative! These are key adjectives that describe the wide range of seminars which we teach at Concordia University. If you are looking to hone your skills, look no further. Concordia's seminars offer you in-depth and interactive study that can improve your knowledge in selected subjects and help you become more productive.
All seminars are taught by professors possessing professional experience and superb knowledge in their field. Classes meet on the Concordia University campus in Portland on Friday and Saturday (from 5 pm to 9 pm on Friday and from 8 am to 5 pm on Saturday).
While each seminar has its own content and format, they may include speakers, panels and a variety of interactive group projects. So, one can enroll in a single seminar or enroll in a series of seminars. Early registration is encouraged since courses may close due to enrollment limits. No meals are provided with tuition, however, the dining hall is open Fridays 5 pm to 6:30 pm and on Saturdays 11 am to 1 pm and again from 5 pm to 6 pm for your convenience.
College Credit
If you choose to receive baccalaureate or graduate - level credit for the seminars, you must register in advance for the course through the registrar's office. Undergraduate seminars are listed in the on-line course schedule with a SOM 451 prefix, whereas, graduate level seminars are listed with a SOM 551 prefix. You can also register on-line during open registration times.
Course Descriptions
SUMMER 08
Marketing Food and Place
Instructor: John Szczepanski, meets: May 16 & 17 2008
The bottle of wine that inspires a vacation, a trip that ignites a taste for a new cuisine --Food and place are intrinsically linked, and in that intersect is a fascinating marketing opportunity. This seminar reinforces and builds upon marketing fundamentals, and explores how places and products gain when promoted in tandem. Examples from Oregon, Australia and Ireland will illustrate a structured method of inquiry, and guest speakers will discuss real-world cases of food and place marketing.
Conflict Management
Instructor: Cecil Reinke, meets: May 30 & 31 2008
As our society becomes more cognizant of potential pollutants and their effect on humans and the environment, the cry by all points of view for active participation in the decision-making process often quickly polarizes the individuals, corporations, or non-profit organizations involved. This can cause both internal and external conflict. Managing this conflict is critically important. This course looks at various methods/theories for managing conflict in the environmental context in an effort to provide a framework for ultimate resolution.
Sports Marketing: Management
Instructor: Keri Nedrud Jensen, meets: Jun 6 & 7 2008
This seminar will focus on marketing non sports products and services using sports as a primary platform. Traditional marketing strategies will be addressed, as well as sponsorship strategies including traditional sponsorship, venue naming rights, licensing and endorsements.
Sports Marketing: Advertising
Instructor: Keri Nedrud Jensen, meets: Jun 27 & 28 2008
This seminar looks at marketing sporting events, products and services. Marketing strategies designed to influence consumer preferences with regard to spectator sporting events, participation sports, and sporting goods and apparel will be the primary focus.
WEB-to-Print
Instructor: W. Zehr, meets: Aug 1 & 2, 2008
Web-to-print is a process that bridges the gap between digital content online and commercial print production. This process is supported by software and tools that allow print buyers (consumers or businesses) to present documents or other printed materials digitally for production by commercial print providers. Web-to-print is one of the hottest topics in commercial printing today. Non-traditional competitors are offering solutions online right now that siphon customers from local markets. Learn how to master this new technology to retain existing customers and forge a competitive advantage.
Marketing Ethics
Instructor: Ann Widmer, meets: On-line course 2008
An on-line seminar which presents a framework for the discussion of deceptive marketing, behavior control, ethnic targeting, images of men and women, "bait and switch," government regulations, consumer vulnerability and other ethical issues in advertising and marketing.
FALL 08
Hiring for Character: The Human Resource Edge
Instructor: R. Wold, meets: Sep 5 & 6 2008
The Bureau of Labor Statistics prognosticators have estimated that by the year 2010 there will be 10 million more jobs in the United States than there will be workers to fill those jobs. Most jobs are filled based on skill, but most performance issues and terminations are related to character. These conditions highlight the need for businesses to make the best hiring decisions possible to retain the human resource edge. Students will explore methods, key concepts, and techniques to interview and select candidates based on character as well as skill.
The Banking Crisis and What Went Wrong
Instructor: R. Busse, meets: Sep 12 & 13
The sub-prime liquidity crisis had its roots in fundamental economic policies of the Federal Reserve prior to the collapse of the housing market. While inflation was controlled, many of these policies bolstered growth, but sustained a flattened yield curve, and resulted in an over supply of dollars and an abundance of investment funds. In this seminar, students will explore the multiple elements that led to the crisis, thereby giving participants a well rounded knowledge into several critical errors and fundamental flaws in financial management, including those in some segments of the banking industry. Participants will review the actual data that led to the crisis, the practices that were errant, what standards were relaxed in the banking industry and the outlook for banking's future in the nation and Pacific Northwest. Interactive discussion and review will be held, with lively support from a guest speaker from the banking industry. Graduate students will provide additional insight via a paper on current outcomes related to the crisis. The topic is to be assigned in class.
Storytelling as a Marketing Tool
Instructor: J. Szczepanski, meets: Oct 4 & 5, 2008
From boardrooms to showrooms, stories inspire and motivate. As marketers, we engage in a craft as old as human culture itself. This course explores the structures, themes and imagery of storytelling as they apply to the disciplines of marketing research and promotion. Guest speakers will illustrate examples of storytelling in their work, and students will learn and practice techniques to help better connect with audiences in meaningful ways. Learn to use the "niching triangle."
Foreign Money Exchange for Vacation and Business
Instructor: D. Beecken, meets: Oct 24 & 25 2008
Whether lying on the beach in Tahiti, shopping at a discount store or setting up a foreign subsidiary, Foreign Exchange and Exchange Rates affect us in countless ways. This seminar attempts to dispel some of the mystery of the Foreign Exchange world. Friday's discussion will focus on a few fundamentals and how Exchange Rates can affect your next vacation. On Saturday we will look at how businesses ranging from Sole Proprietorships to Fortune 500s face risks created by Foreign Exchange and introduce some risk management tools. Bring a basic function calculator to class.
Negotiations
Instructor: Cecil Reinke, meets: Nov 7 & 8 2008
More and more corporations, individuals, and non-profit organizations are becoming involved in situations in which they find themselves having to negotiate with outside parties (e.g., consumer organizations, environmental regulatory agencies, environmental actions groups, etc.). This course introduces the student to the fundamentals of negotiating and how to be an effective negotiator.
Strategic Marketing for New Ventures
Instructor: W. Zehr, meets: Nov 14 & 15 2008
Learn to apply the principles of strategic marketing to accelerate the growth of you new business venture. You will learn the central role of strategy and brand and how they complement each other. Then expand this focus to learn more about products, people, pricing, place, promotion, and positioning. Participants should be able to create a strategic marketing plan at the conclusion of this course.
SPRING 09
Investing in Turbulent Times
Instructor: Chris Magana, meets: Jan 9 & 10 2009
This seminar will examine the characteristics of the major asset classes and how they interact in the financial markets and global economy during turbulent times. The seminar will explore how to develop an investment plan to achieve a predetermined long-term investment goal. The seminar will look at how inflation, taxes, risk, time, government policies, personal finances, business cycles, economic indicators and politics impact the individual investor and their investment returns. The discussion topics are designed to be hands on and practical.
The Systems Approach Advantage
Instructor: G. Hutzell, meets: Jan 23 & 24 2009
A system lives. It is a network of processes in which every process contributes to all other processes. In the new systems worldview, we move from the primacy of pieces to the primacy of the whole. A living system produces itself. It will change in order preserve that self. Change is prompted only when an organism decides that changing is the only way to maintain itself. Therefore, the advantage of systems thinking is that it embraces a holistic perspective centered on change. In this course we will explore the value of systems thinking and it application to business organizational life.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Instructor: Cecil Reinke, meets March 27 & 28 2009
Litigation has proven to be a highly costly and ineffective manner for resolving conflicts. Accordingly, a number of alternative procedures to resolve disputes short of litigation have developed. This course reviews some of the procedures (e.g., mini-trial, mediation, arbitration, etc.) and explains their appropriateness and limitations.
Leaders: How Do You Say What You Want to Say?
Instructor: Vicki Guinn, meets: Jan 30 & 31 2009
Communication skills are essential to achieving success as a leader in any industry. Your spoken words, facial expressions, and other nonverbal behavior, such as, appearance and body language, all convey messages. However, does it convey your intent? Was it the message you wanted to deliver? You will learn how to improve your interpersonal communication whether it's directed at an employee, a vendor, colleague, or your boss. You will get tools for better understanding and better business results.
Strategic Planning and the Balanced Scorecard
Instructor: Heidi Reel, meets: Feb 6 & 7 2009
This seminar uses the Balanced Scorecard methodology as a framework for strategic planning. The Balanced Scorecard is a useful tool in developing an organization's ability to respond to changing market conditions by focusing in four key areas: financial performance; responding to customer needs, improving internal processes and optimizing the capacity of your employees.
Leadership Challenge
Instructor: Doug Denton, meets: Feb 27 & 28 2009
Leadership is learned Contrary to belief; leadership is not contained in a gene any more, or any less, than other abilities. Leadership is a behavior and has an observable set of skills and abilities that experienced and novice leaders can use to turn challenging opportunities into successes. Based on the groundbreaking work of James Kouzes and Barry Posner, PhD, and using their Student Leadership Practices Inventory, The Leadership Challenge seminar focuses on people who have the desire and persistence to substantially improve their leadership abilities. Students will gain the awareness and motivation to improve in the five essential leadership practices: Challenging the Process, Inspiring a Shared Vision, Enabling Others to Act, Modeling the Way, Encouraging the Heart.
Marketing Ethics
Instructor: Ann Widmer, meets: On-line course 2009
An on-line seminar which presents a framework for the discussion of deceptive marketing, behavior control, ethnic targeting, images of men and women, "bait and switch," government regulations, consumer vulnerability and other ethical issues in advertising and marketing.