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Executive Development Course (EDC) — Online

Mini-MBA — Understanding the full picture of business

Overview

This flagship program condenses key topics from leading MBA and EMBA programs. It is designed to boost your career success through a comprehensive understanding of the pillars of business: strategy, sales, finance, negotiations, people skills, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility.

As the rules of the game change for almost every functional area of an organization, this learning experience offers timely exposure to new techniques, tools, and trends. Launched in 1949, this is Canada’s top concise management program, known as the online Executive Development Course, from which hundreds graduate each year.

Delivered in Montreal and online, the format fits in well with the workday of busy professionals from both the private and public sectors.

Key Benefits and Takeaways

  • Capture the key lessons of an MBA without the time and cost burden
  • Gain a comprehensive understanding of core management functions
  • Examine best practices in leadership, and in coaching employees to reach their potential
  • Improve your ability to think strategically
  • Sharpen your financial literacy to make quality management decisions
  • Understand the facets of marketing excellence, raising awareness, and creating value
  • Practice negotiation techniques to achieve successful, win-win outcomes

This program is valuable for those in the corporate, government, and non-profit sectors who want to be at their best but haven’t had time for an MBA or EMBA. It is also a perfect opportunity for those considering an MBA before making a commitment. It is beneficial for managers who have had exposure to one functional area and plan to move into a general management position.

The registration fee includes facilitation by our highly rated faculty members, digital course materials, results-oriented exercises, and a certificate of completion from the McGill Executive Institute. To successfully complete the course and receive your certificate of completion, you will need to attend all sessions and complete the pre-work for each session.

Ask us how you could qualify for a special Mini-MBA Series Certificate.

Topics covered in this course

  • Strategic Vision & Mission
  • Leveraging Core Competencies
  • Strategic Planning Process
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Understanding the Value Chain
  • Strategic Decision-Making
  • Economic Impact of Business
  • Self-discovery & Personal Strengths
  • Leader & Manager Styles
  • Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
  • Team Collaboration & Dynamics
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Presenting Confidently
  • Leadership & Culture 
  • Understanding Financial Statements
  • Cash vs. Accrual Accounting
  • Ratio & Cash Flow Analysis
  • Techniques to Analyze Financial Operations
  • Cost Behaviour & Decision Making
  • Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis
  • Relevant Costs
  • Cost Allocation
  • Activity Based Costing & Management
  • Negotiating Successfully
  • Key Tools & Approaches 
  • Stages of Negotiation
  • When to Share Information
  • Team Negotiations
  • Preparing Your Action Plan
  • Overview of climate/sustainability crisis
  • Understanding key tools and frameworks
  • Measuring & assessing sustainability
  • Integration into team projects
  • Competitive Strategy 
  • Customer Experience
  • GTM Strategy
  • CRM Tools
  • Sales Activation
  • Introduction to AI and Analytics
  • Leveraging AI to Optimize Promotions
  • Demand Prediction
  • A/B Testing

 

Course Leaders

headshot of Don Melville

Don Melville

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Don Melville

Don Melville is an expert in strategy and competitive advantage. In his prior roles as Director at Secor and Senior Consultant at CapGemini, he led a number of activities aimed at achieving strategic excellence for multinational corporations. He is currently a faculty member in the areas of finance, strategy and organization at McGill’s Desautels Faculty of Management. He also teaches on a variety of senior executive education programs. Don holds an MBA degree from McGill University.

headshot of Miriam Carver

Miriam Carver

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Miriam Carver

As a faculty member of the McGill Executive Institute and lecturer in the Desautels Faculty of Management, Miriam Carver’s areas of expertise include leadership development, conflict resolution, negotiation skills, building teams, customer service, executive coaching, and emotional intelligence. She consults with a wide variety of organizations in diverse sectors, from manufacturing and telecommunications to government and healthcare. She holds a Master’s in Education (Counselling Psychology) from McGill University and has completed additional graduate work in Organizational Development and Conflict Resolution.

 

headshot of Julia Scott

Julia Scott

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Julia Scott

Julia Scott (CPA, CA, CFA, MBA) joined McGill University in 2000 and currently leads the CA and CPA programs at the Desautels Faculty of Management. She is an industry leader in financial accounting and business analysis, and advises people who are working towards their CA designation. She is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and an active member of the CFA Institute. Prior to joining McGill, Julia worked for TD Bank in Toronto and earned her Chartered Accountant designation from Ernst and Young (Clarkson Gordon).

headshot of Juan Camilo Serpa

Juan Camilo Serpa

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Juan Camilo Serpa

University Professor in Data Analytics and AI, Sustainability and Biodiversity Management, Supply Chain Logistics. Desautels Faculty of Management.

 

headshot of Claude Macdonald

Claude Macdonald

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Claude Macdonald

Claude Macdonald is recognized as an expert in the field of sales culture transformation in Canada. Over the past 25 years, he has trained and coached more than 25 000, professionals from organizations in Canada, the United States and Europe. He is the author of several professional development workshops and assessment tools, notably the unique Sales Culture Maturity Index, the only tool in the world for measuring the state of a sales culture within an organization.

headshot of Michael Babcock

Michael Babcock

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Michael Babcock

Michael Babcock is a lecturer in the Economics Department at McGill University. Originally from a cattle-ranching background in Alberta, Michael teaches undergraduate courses in Environmental and Ecological Economics, as well as a graduate-level course on Energy, Economy, and Environment. He remains active in research in examining Food Security through the twin currencies of Agriculture Energetics and Economics. His research interests are not confined to these fields, however, and he has a forthcoming book on the concept of the Anthropocene, exploring and explaining how this current epoch is related to our conceptual, social, and economic systems.

 

The Mini-MBA Series

This program is part of the McGill Mini-MBA Series. Each cycle is designed to equip you with key business insights, comprehensive management practices, benchmarks, and business strategies taught in our full MBA program- at a fraction of the time and cost.

Learn more about the Mini-MBA Series

 

Online Information Session

 February 5, 2025 ⁠–⁠ 12:00 pm ET

Join us online to learn more about the Mini-MBA Series, the curriculum, and the upcoming Online Mini-MBA programs. Advisors will be on hand to answer any live questions regarding the program.

 

Delivery Formats

Online
A virtual learning experience featuring an interactive suite of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (self-paced) components from the comfort of your home or office.

View available online sessions

 

In-Person
Join your peers in our world-class facilities and explore the dynamic life of McGill University’s Montreal campus or one of our offsite locations.

View available sessions in Montreal.