Program modules

Module 1: Strategic Management & Consulting Skills

This course focuses on strategic thinking and problem-solving at the organizational level. Students learn how to analyze competitive environments, evaluate strategic options, and develop consulting-style recommendations supported by data, frameworks and professional presentations.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• analyze internal and external business environments using established strategic frameworks
• identify competitive advantages and strategic challenges faced by organizations
• develop coherent business strategies supported by qualitative and quantitative analysis
• apply consulting‑style problem‑solving approaches to real or simulated business cases
• communicate strategic recommendations effectively through professional written and oral presentations

Course details:

• includes 30-35 hours of lectures and academic projects
• required course

Module 2: Fundamental of Marketing

This course introduces the essential principles of marketing and customer value creation. Students examine market analysis, segmentation, branding, and marketing strategy, with a focus on applying marketing concepts to real-world business situations in a global environment.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• explain the role of marketing in creating, communicating and delivering customer value
• analyze markets and customers using segmentation, targeting and positioning frameworks
• apply basic marketing concepts, including product, pricing, promotion and distribution strategies
• evaluate real‑world marketing cases and propose practical, market‑driven solutions
• demonstrate an understanding of how marketing decisions are influenced by global and cultural contexts

Course details:

• includes 30-35 hours of lectures and academic projects
• required course

Module 3: Fundamentals of Microeconomics

This course provides a foundation in microeconomic analysis for business decision-making. Key topics include supply and demand, consumer choice, production and costs, market structures, competition, and the role of policy and regulation in market outcomes.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• understand and apply core microeconomic concepts such as supply and demand, elasticity and consumer choice
• analyze firm behavior related to production, cost structures and profit maximization
• distinguish among different market structures and assess their impact on competition and pricing
• evaluate the effects of government policies, regulation and external factors on markets
• use economic reasoning to support managerial and business decision‑making in domestic and international settings

Course details:

• includes 30-35 hours of lectures and academic projects
• required course

Instructors

Our instructors are highly qualified experts in their fields, with extensive real-world international experience. All IBP faculty are regular lecturers at Gustavson:

• Week 1 - Strategic Management & Consulting Skills - Ravee Chittoor
• Week 2 - Fundamentals of Marketing - Christian Van Buskirk
• Week 3 - Fundamentals of Microeconomics - Jen Baggs