The Center for Strategy, Execution and Valuation

SEV Concentration Courses

Concentration Courses

GSB 611 Return Driven Strategy

Fall 2009 September 18, 19, October 9, & 10;  Spring 2010 - April 23, 24, May 7 & 8 


This course provides frameworks that will enable Kellstadt students to make a significant impact on the future of their organizations.  The seminar focuses on Return Driven Strategy including the 11 tenets of successful business strategy, leveraging genuine assets, significant forces of change and strategic valuation.  This seminar will focus on a deep dive analysis of the strategies and successful value creation of great companies.  Each student will participate in a team project to apply the strategy tenets of  Return Driven Strategy to an organization.  Participants will benefit from the study of CSFB HOLT performance and valuation models under special permission from Credit Suisse HOLT Equity Research Group.  They will also gain special access to research in the field of business strategy and valuation.  Finally, the seminar driven course will include an executive seminar as part of the standard curriculum. 

This course is co-designed  and co-taught by Dr. Mark L. Frigo and Joel Litman, Clinical Professor of Business Strategy at DePaul's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and Managing Director at Equity Analysis & Strategy.


Pre-requisites: ACC 500, ACC 555, FIN 555 or Instructor's Permission

GSB 621 Strategy Execution Frameworks

Winter Intersession 2009 - December 4, 5, 11, & 12;   Spring 2010 - April 2, 3, 16, & 17


Business execution frameworks, such as the Balanced Scorecard and Value Based Management (VBM) are used by companies to turn their strategic plans into action and help ensure execution of intended activities. Confusion can exist between what exactly constitutes the execution process and what makes up the strategic planning and strategy development processes. This course will provide MBA candidates with an understanding and working skill-set for linking strategy to execution.  It will also enable students how to recognize flaws in corporate management systems in this area.  Further, it will provide them with the background to evaluate the quality of their business execution systems, and identify opportunities for improvement.  The course is linked tightly to Return Driven Strategy.
While there is not specific business execution system that can be recommended in every situation, two general schools of thought have emerged and will be highlighted, focusing on the main principles and examples:

  1. Balanced scorecard and the use of Strategy Maps
  2. Value-Based management and the interrelationship of value drivers
  3. Both financial and non-financial quantitative measures are examined in detail in actual organizations. Specific execution initiatives in popular use by organizations will also be studied including Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and Total Quality Management (TQM).
  4. The seminars and research projects focus on studying successful companies and how they execute on their business strategies.  Further, a survey of companies that employ execution strategies without good business strategy, and the results, are also investigated.  Each student will participate in team projects to understand these systems.
  5. The Instructors:
    This course is co-designed and co-taught by Dr. Mark L. Frigo, Eichenbaum Foundation Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Leadership, and Joel Litman, Clinical Professor of Business Strategy at DePauls' Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and Managing Director at Equity Analysis & Strategy.  They have been combining their efforts in the research, study, and development of business strategy models and frameworks for execution and value creation and have assisted a wide range of public and private companies in the application of these concepts.

GSB 641 Strategic Valuation

Fall 2009 - October 23, 24, November 6, 7

This course surveys valuation methods, forecasting techniques, and practical methods for driving valuations from strategic corporate analysis.  The course shows the link between strategic analysis and valuations - converting our qualitative understanding of company initiatives into quantitative forecasts and valuation models.  The guiding principles for developing valuation models, and the tools and techniques for enhancing that analysis are introduced.  This course builds a skillset for evaluating other valuation models and a first-hand experience in building models for various companies in differing settings.  The course differs from traditional treatments in its focus on the actual building of valuation models directly from financial statements and the valuation projects based on real-time data  This course is co-designed and co-taught by Dr. Mark L. Frigo, and Joel Litman, Clinical Professor of Business Strategy at DePaul's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and Managing Director at Equity Analysis & Strategy. 

Prerequisites: FIN 555 and GSB 611 or GSB 621 or Instructor's Permission